Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley were back on TNT’s airwaves on Thursday evening for a rare mid-summer broadcasting gig together, as they went out to Las Vegas for the latest installment of “The Match,” this time pitting Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Before the stars of the hardwood and the gridiron competed on the golf course, Charles Barkley asked if he could have the floor to say something, to which Ernie joked he already was saying something. Their usual banter was followed by a surprise announcement from Chuck that Ernie was going to be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame later that year, leading to a stunned Johnson asking if that was real news from the Chuckster before offering a heartfelt thanks for the honor.
Chuck surprised Ernie with the news that he will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame 👏 pic.twitter.com/GWH6aL7rs3
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 29, 2023
It’s a very cool moment and it’s great that Chuck got to make the announcement to his longtime broadcasting partner and friend, even though it came down outside of the NBA season. If anything it’s fairly surprising that Johnson wasn’t already in the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame given his legendary career with TNT, but he’s certainly a worthy recipient of the honor and I’m sure a celebration will be in order later tonight in Las Vegas.
