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'{{Infobox person | name = Ernie Johnson Jr. | image = Ernie Johnson Jr in 2012.jpg | caption = Johnson at the [[Baltimore Orioles]] ALDS Game on October 7, 2012 | birth_name = Ernest Thorwald Johnson Jr. | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|08|07|}} | birth_place = [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] | death_place = | education = [[University of Georgia]] | occupation = On-Air Personality, [[Turner Sports]] | alias = E.J., Mr. Smooth, Elevator Ernie | title = [[Sports commentator|Sportscaster]] | family = | spouse = Cheryl Johnson | domestic_partner = | children = 6 | father = [[Ernie Johnson (pitcher)|Ernie Johnson Sr.]] | residence = [[Braselton, Georgia]] | nationality = [[United States|American]] | ethnicityity = | religion = [[Christian]] | credits = | awards = | agent = | website = }} '''Ernest Thorwald "Ernie" Johnson Jr.''' (born August 7, 1956) is a sportscaster for [[Turner Sports]] and [[CBS Sports]]. Johnson is currently the lead television voice for [[Major League Baseball on TBS]], hosts ''[[Inside the NBA]]'' for [[NBA on TNT|TNT]], and contributes to the joint coverage of the [[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament]] for Turner and CBS. He is the son of [[Ernie Johnson (pitcher)|Ernie Johnson Sr.]], a former [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher and Braves play-by-play announcer.<ref>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nba/announcers/johnson/index.html</ref> ==Early career== Johnson's career began in 1977 while he was still a student at the [[University of Georgia]], when he took a job as the news and sports director for the radio station [[WAGQ-FM]] in [[Athens, Georgia]]. He held that job until 1978, when he graduated from Georgia with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[journalism]], summa cum laude. In 1979, Johnson began his broadcasting career at [[WMAZ-TV]] in [[Macon, Georgia]]. He worked there as a news anchor until 1981, when he moved to [[Spartanburg, South Carolina]] to work as a news reporter at [[WSPA-TV]]. Johnson moved back to [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] in 1982, this time taking a job in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] at [[WSB-TV]] as a general assignment news reporter. He became the station's weekend sports anchor and reporter in 1983. He held those jobs until 1989, when he left to join Turner Sports. From [[1993 in baseball|1993]] to [[1996 in baseball|1996]], Johnson called [[Atlanta Braves]] [[baseball]] games for SportSouth (now [[FSN (Fox Sports Net)|FSN South]]) with his father, [[Ernie Johnson (baseball pitcher)|Ernie Johnson Sr.]].<ref>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nba/announcers/johnson/index.html</ref> ==Turner Sports== ===''The NBA on TNT''=== {{main|NBA on TNT}} Known as "'''E.J.'''", Johnson works as the studio host for TNT's coverage of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], including pregame and halftime shows, and the network's famous postgame studio show that airs after each NBA doubleheader, ''[[Inside the NBA]]''. He has hosted the show since 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.erniejohnsonjr.com/|title=Ernie Johnson Jr|work=erniejohnsonjr.com}}</ref> At the end of each broadcast, Ernie presents "E.J.'s Neat-O Stat of the Night," which has become a popular part of the show but is sponsored by no one, hence the sign that says "Your logo here"; This changed in May 2007 when [[vitaminwater]] stepped in as a sponsor for the segment, replaced by [[Panasonic]]'s Viera line of televisions for 2008. For the 2005–2006 season, his segments were sponsored by Intel Centrino and most recently [[Suzuki]]. In the [[2008 NBA Playoffs]], his segments were presented by [[Geico]] and [[vitaminwater]]. For all NBA-related shows, Johnson is joined by former NBA stars [[Kenny Smith]], [[Charles Barkley]], [[Shaquille O'Neal]] and, on occasion, [[Chris Webber]], [[Grant Hill]], or [[Reggie Miller]]. In the 2012-2013 regular season he was joined by [[Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway]] and [[Dennis Scott (basketball)|Dennis Scott]] while Smith and Barkley covered [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|March Madness]] on [[CBS]]. Johnson is also the host of ''[[NBA Gametime Live#Tuesday Fan Night|Tuesday Fan Night]]'' on sister station NBA TV, alongside Webber and [[Greg Anthony]]. He is also the host and moderator of NBA TV's ''Open Court'', a basketball-panel show featuring Johnson and a rotation of six panelists (all of whom are made up of TNT's NBA analysts) discussing various topics, ranging from the history of the NBA to the current day scene of the league. ===Non-NBA assignments=== [[File:Cal Ripken and Ernie Johnson, Jr..jpg|thumb|230px|Johnson ''(right)'' in the broadcast booth with [[Cal Ripken Jr.]] during the [[2012 American League Division Series]]]] In addition to working basketball, Johnson is also the [[play-by-play]] announcer for TNT's [[PGA Tour]] coverage. At TBS, Johnson worked as the studio host for their coverage of [[College Football on TBS|college football]]. In 2002, Johnson was co-winner of the [[Sports Emmy Awards|Sports Emmy]] for [[Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host]], tying with [[Bob Costas]] of [[NBC]] and [[Home Box Office|HBO]]. It was the first time Johnson had been nominated for a Sports Emmy. In 2006, Johnson won the award again, this time on his own, snapping Costas' six-year stranglehold on it, including the year the two shared the honor. From 2007 to 2009, Johnson worked as the studio host alongside [[Cal Ripken Jr.]] for TBS's coverage of [[Major League Baseball on TBS|Major League Baseball]]. In 2010, he moved into a play-by-play role for the network, serving as the lead broadcaster for TBS' playoff coverage, including the [[2010 American League Championship Series|2010 ALCS]]. He also broadcast 40 [[Atlanta Braves]] games on sister channel [[Peachtree TV]]. Johnson's past work at TNT included roles as studio host for [[The Championships, Wimbledon]] from 2000 to 2002, studio host for its [[National Football League]] coverage from [[1990 NFL season|1990]] to [[1997 NFL season|1997]], and various duties at the 1994, 1998, and 2001 [[Goodwill Games]], as well as the [[1992 Winter Olympics]] in [[Albertville, France]] and the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] in [[Lillehammer]]. He was the studio host for TNT's coverage of the [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]. He also co-hosted Barkley's now-defunct talk show, ''Listen Up!'' Past work at TBS also included working as studio host for their NBA coverage. Johnson also called [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]] for NBC's coverage of the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]]. He also serves as a studio host for the NCAA tournament for CBS and [[Turner Sports]] alternating with [[Greg Gumbel]]. In 2015, Johnson won his third Sports Emmy for Best Studio Host, and gave his award to the daughters of the late [[Stuart Scott]], who died in January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/12830304/ernie-johnson-tnt-gives-sports-emmy-award-stuart-scott-daughters|title=Ernie Johnson of TNT gives Sports Emmy Award to Stuart Scott's daughters|work=ESPN.com}}</ref> He is also a sportscaster on NBA 2K15, NBA 2K16, and NBA 2K17.{{cn|date=January 2017}} ==Personal life== {{BLP sources section|date=October 2015}} Johnson and his wife, Cheryl, a licensed professional counselor, live in [[Braselton, Georgia]] and have two biological children (one son, named Eric, and one daughter, named Maggie) and four adopted children (a son Michael, adopted from [[Romania]], daughter Carmen, adopted from [[Paraguay]] and daughters Ashley and Allison adopted domestically through foster care). A [[Christianity|Christian]] since 1997, he works on a regular basis with the [[Fellowship of Christian Athletes]] (FCA), [[Athletes in Action]] (AIA), and [[Samaritan's Feet]]. Johnson is a devoted [[Atlanta Braves]] fan. He is an Atlanta native and attended high school at the private [[Marist School (Georgia)|Marist School]] in nearby [[Brookhaven, Georgia]]. On April 11th 2017, it was announced that he would give the commencement address at his Alma Mater, the University of Georgia, on May 5th 2017. ===Cancer=== In 2003, Johnson was diagnosed with [[non-Hodgkin's lymphoma]], but continued his work through June 2006, when he began treatment. Due to his cancer, Johnson missed TNT's coverage of the [[The Open Championship|British Open]] and [[PGA Championship]], the last two [[golf]] major tournaments in 2006. Johnson returned to ''Inside the NBA'' on October 31, [[2006-07 NBA season|2006]], while continuing his [[chemotherapy]] treatments. ==References== {{reflist}} {{Major League Baseball on TBS}} {{NFL on TNT}} {{NBA on TNT}} {{NBA on TBS}} {{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Host}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Ernie Jr.}} [[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]] [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Cancer survivors]] [[Category:American Christians]] [[Category:American television sports announcers]] [[Category:American television talk show hosts]] [[Category:Atlanta Braves broadcasters]] [[Category:College football announcers]] [[Category:Association football commentators]] [[Category:Golf writers and broadcasters]] [[Category:Major League Baseball announcers]] [[Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters]] [[Category:National Football League announcers]] [[Category:People from Milwaukee]] [[Category:People from Atlanta]] [[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]] [[Category:Tennis commentators]] [[Category:University of Georgia alumni]] [[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]]'