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'{{BLPrefimprove|date=October 2021}} {{Short description|American sportscaster}} {{about||Johnson's father and former pitcher and broadcaster|Ernie Johnson Sr.}} {{Infobox person | name = Ernie Johnson Jr. | image = Ernie Johnson 2019.png | image_upright = 0.9 | caption = Johnson in 2019 | birth_name = Ernest Thorwald Johnson Jr.<ref name="Unscripted" /> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|8|7}} | birth_place = [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]], U.S. | death_place = | education = [[University of Georgia]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) | occupation = On-air personality / [[Sports commentator|sportscaster]]<br />[[Turner Sports]] | years_active = 1977–present | title = | family = | spouse = Cheryl Johnson | domestic_partner = | children = 6 | father = [[Ernie Johnson Sr.]] | credits = | awards = | agent = | website = }} '''Ernest Thorwald Johnson Jr.''' (born August 7, 1956) is an American sportscaster for [[Turner Sports]]. Johnson is currently the lead television voice for [[Major League Baseball on TBS]], hosts ''[[Inside the NBA]]'' for [[NBA on TNT|TNT]], and [[NBA TV]] and contributes to the joint coverage of the [[NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament]] for Turner and CBS Sports. His father was [[Ernie Johnson Sr.]], a [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher and [[Atlanta Braves]] play-by-play announcer.<ref name=CNNSI>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nba/announcers/johnson/index.html |title=Ernie Johnson Biography |website=[[CNN Sports Illustrated]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040221094114/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/turnersports/nba/announcers/johnson/index.html |archive-date=February 21, 2004 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref> ==Early life and career== Johnson was born in 1956 in [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]. His father, [[Ernie Johnson Sr.]] (1924–2011), was a [[Major League Baseball]] player who later became a television sports [[Sports commentator|commentator]]. Johnson's family moved to [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]], after his father's retirement from professional baseball in 1959. Johnson attended high school at the [[Marist School (Georgia)|Marist School]], a private [[Catholic school]] in [[Brookhaven, Georgia]], and graduated in 1974. He then went to the [[University of Georgia]] and majored in [[journalism]]. While a student, Johnson got his first sportscasting job as the news and sports director for the radio station [[WAGQ-FM]] in [[Athens, Georgia]]. Johnson played [[first baseman]] on the [[Georgia Bulldogs baseball|Bulldogs baseball]] team his freshman year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgiadogs.com/news/2016/2/24/Ernie_Johnson_Jr_Hartman_Award_Recipient.aspx |title=ERNIE JOHNSON, JR. - HARTMAN AWARD RECIPIENT |website=georgiadogs.com |date=February 24, 2016}}</ref> He graduated from Georgia in 1978 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] ''[[Latin honors#United States|summa cum laude]]''. In 1979, Johnson was hired as a news anchor 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 [[Bally Sports South]]) with his father, [[Ernie Johnson Sr.]]<ref name=CNNSI/> ==Turner Sports== ===''NBA on TNT''=== {{main|NBA on TNT}} [[file:Inflatabull and NBA on TNT (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Johnson (left) with longtime broadcasting partners [[Kenny Smith]] (center) and [[Charles Barkley]], 2011]] 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>{{better source|date=October 2021}} 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|date=6 May 2015}}</ref> He is also a sportscaster on ''NBA Live 98'', ''NBA 2K15'', ''NBA 2K16'', ''NBA 2K17'', ''NBA 2K18,'' ''NBA 2K19'' and ''NBA 2K20''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1008723/|title=Ernie Johnson|website=IMDb|access-date=2018-09-18}}</ref> ==Career timeline== *1977–1989: various local news outlets ([[WAGQ-FM]], [[WMAZ-TV]], [[WSPA-TV]], [[WSB-TV]]) - sports/news anchor and reporter *1989–present: ''[[Inside the NBA]]'' - lead studio host *1990: [[Soccer on Turner Sports|1990 FIFA World Cup on TNT]] - lead studio host *1992: [[1992 Winter Olympics|1992 Winter Olympics on CBS/TNT]] - speed skating play-by-play *1993–1996: ''[[Atlanta Braves|Atlanta Braves on SportsSouth]]'' - play-by-play *1994: [[1994 Winter Olympics|1994 Winter Olympics on CBS/TNT]] - speed skating play-by-play *2002–2020: ''[[Golf on TNT]]'' - lead play-by-play *2002–2006: ''[[College Football on TBS]]'' - lead studio host *2006–2010, 2020-present: ''[[MLB on TBS]]'' - studio host *2010–present: ''[[MLB on TBS]]'' - play-by-play (lead play-by-play 2010, 2012–2018), (regular season 2020-present) *2011–present: ''[[NCAA March Madness (TV program)|NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS/TBS/TNT/TruTV]]'' - lead studio host ==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]] and had muscular dystrophy and died in 2021<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2021/10/30/tnt-broadcaster-ernie-johnsons-son-dies-at-33/|title=Michael Johnson, son of Turner Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson, dead at 33|first=Mark W.|last=Sanchez|date=October 30, 2021}}</ref>) daughter Carmen, adopted from Paraguay and daughters Ashley and Allison adopted domestically through foster care). Raised [[Catholic Church|Catholic]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsspectrum.com/featured/2017/04/05/tnt-host-ernie-johnson-trust-god-period/|title=TNT Host Ernie Johnson - "Trust God ... Period"|date=April 5, 2017}}</ref> Johnson now identifies as an evangelical and 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. Though he was born in Milwaukee, Johnson's family moved to the Atlanta area when he was nine, and he considers it to be his hometown. He attended high school at the private [[Marist School (Georgia)|Marist School]] in nearby [[Brookhaven, Georgia]]. On the November 10, 2016 edition of ''Inside the NBA'', Johnson and co-hosts were discussing the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 U.S. presidential election]] and the stunning upset of [[Donald Trump]]'s victory over [[Hillary Clinton]]. While giving his remarks, Johnson talked about the build-up to Election Day, and how he would lean on his Christian faith and pray for the transition of power and for the division in the country. He also revealed that he wrote in his vote for Ohio governor [[John Kasich]], who was one of the [[Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016|17 Republican candidates]] and the last to suspend his campaign. In April 2017, he released his memoir, ''Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary''.<ref name="Unscripted">{{cite book |title=Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary |first=Ernie |last=Johnson Jr. |others=foreword by [[John Smoltz]] |publisher=[[Baker Publishing Group|Baker Books]] |date=2017 |isbn=978-0801074103}}</ref> ===Health=== 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. On October 1, 2018, Johnson announced that he would not be a part of the [[2018 Major League Baseball season#Postseason|2018 MLB postseason]] on TBS after being diagnosed with blood clots in both of his legs, which affects his ability to travel by air.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yomtov |first1=Jesse |title=Announcer Ernie Johnson will skip MLB playoffs due to blood clots |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/10/01/ernie-johnson-mlb-playoffs-tbs/1488233002/ |access-date=2 October 2018 |work=USA Today |date=1 October 2018}}</ref> ==Awards and honors== *Seven-time [[Sports Emmy Award]] winner - [[Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host]]. *[[Indiana Wesleyan University]] Society of World Changers 2019 Inductee, where he was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indwes.edu/news/2019/02/ernie-johnson-jr.-inducted-as-2019-iwu-world-changer|title=Ernie Johnson Jr. inducted as 2019 IWU World Changer|website=www.indwes.edu}}</ref>{{better source|date=October 2021}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{S-start}} {{Succession box| before = [[Chip Caray]] | title = Lead play-by-play announcer, ''[[Major League Baseball on TBS]]''| years = [[2010 Major League Baseball season|2010]]<br>[[2012 Major League Baseball season|2012]]&ndash;[[2016 Major League Baseball season|2016]]| after = [[Brian Anderson (sportscaster)|Brian Anderson]]}} {{S-end}} {{Major League Baseball on TBS}} {{NFL on TNT}} {{NBA on TNT}} {{NBA on TBS}} {{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Host}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Ernie Jr.}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:American evangelicals]] [[Category:American television sports announcers]] [[Category:American television talk show hosts]] [[Category:Association football commentators]] [[Category:Atlanta Braves announcers]] [[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]] [[Category:College football announcers]] [[Category:Georgia Bulldogs baseball players]] [[Category:Golf writers and broadcasters]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]] [[Category:Marist School (Georgia) alumni]] [[Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters]] [[Category:National Football League announcers]] [[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]] [[Category:People from Atlanta]] [[Category:People from Milwaukee]] [[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]] [[Category:Tennis commentators]] [[Category:University of Georgia alumni]] [[Category:Christians from Wisconsin]]'