Ernie Johnson Jr. is a three-time Sports Emmy Award winner and host of TNT's Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal. He is the studio host for NBA TV's popular Fan Night and a studio host for Turner and CBS's NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship coverage. He is the lead play-by-play announcer for Turner's coverage of Major League Baseball and the PGA Championship, and has also covered the National Football League, The British Open, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. In 2007 Johnson was presented with the first-ever honorary John Wooden Keys to Life Award, presented by Athletes in Action, which is awarded to individuals who exemplify Wooden's "Seven Keys to Life," including character, integrity, and faith. In 2015 he was recognized with a Musial Award, presented in honor of Stan Musial's legacy by celebrating iconic "good sports" and the year's greatest moments in sportsmanship. In 2016 his alma mater, the University of Georgia, honored him with the Grady College of Journalism John Holliman Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Bill Hartman Award for Lifetime Achievement from the UGA Athletic Department. Johnson lives in Braselton, Georgia, with his wife, Cheryl, and their six children, four of whom are adopted.
