Ernie Johnson Jr.

Ernie Johnson, Jr.
Born	Ernest Johnson, Jr. (1956-08-07) August 7, 1956 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Other names	E.J., Mr. Smooth
Education	University of Georgia
Occupation(s)	On-Air Personality, Turner Sports
Spouse	Cheryl
Children	4

Ernest Johnson, Jr. (born August 7, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a sportscaster for Turner Sports coverage on TNT and TBS.

Biography

Childhood

Johnson went to Mother of Good Counsel (MGC) for his grade school. In Atlanta, he graduated from the Marist School (Georgia).

Early career

Johnson's career began in 1977 while he was still a student at the University of Georgia, taking 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 in Journalism. Johnson graduated Summa Cum Laude. In 1979, Johnson began his broadcasting career in Macon, Georgia, joining WMAZ-TV after graduating. 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 in 1982, this time taking a job in 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 to 1996, Johnson called Atlanta Braves baseball games for SportSouth (now FSN South) with his father, Ernie Johnson Sr., a former Major League Baseball pitcher and Braves play-by-play announcer.

Turner Sports

The NBA on TNT

Main article: NBA on TNT

At TNT, Johnson is also known as "E.J.", works as the studio host for the network's coverage of the NBA, working pregame and halftime shows, as well as hosting the network's famous studio show that airs after each NBA doubleheader, Inside the NBA. 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 and Charles Barkley, and, on occasion, Chris Webber, and/or Reggie Miller. In the Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls game, he was the play-by-play announcer. This was his first time broadcasting an NBA game, he was with fellow Inside the NBA analysts, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. They were called up to broadcast that game because Marv Albert was in Portland, Oregon along with Mike Fratello and David Aldridge to broadcast a Dallas Mavericks-Portland Trail Blazers game, one of the NBA on TNT double-headers that night.That was their first broadcasting since December 29, 2009, when they broadcast the Cavaliers-Hawks in Atlanta with NBA TV.

Johnson is also the host of Tuesday Fan Night on sister station NBA TV, alongside Webber and Kevin McHale.

Non-NBA assignments

In addition to working basketball, Johnson was 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. In 2002, Johnson was co-winner of the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host, tying with Bob Costas of NBC and 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. 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 ALCS. He also broadcast 40 Atlanta Braves games on sister channel Peachtree TV.

Past TNT assignments

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 to 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 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 weightlifting for NBC's coverage of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Personal

Johnson Jr. and his wife, Cheryl, a licensed professional counselor, live in Atlanta and have two biological children (one son, named Eric, and one daughter, named Maggie) and two adopted children (Michael, adopted from Romania, and daughter Carmen, adopted from Paraguay). A Christian since 1997, he works on a regular basis with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Athletes in Action (AIA) and Samaritan's Feet, a nonprofit organization which has a mission of putting 10 million pairs of shoes on 10 million kids' feet worldwide over the next ten years. Johnson is a devoted New York Yankees fan.

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 Jr. missed TNT's coverage of the British Open and PGA Championship, the last two golf major tournaments in 2006. Mike Tirico replaced him in the British Open, and Verne Lundquist in the PGA Championship.

Johnson returned to Inside the NBA on October 31, 2006, while continuing his chemotherapy treatments. He had lost his hair due to chemotherapy.