Ernie Johnson is a familiar name to most NBA fans. He is a known sportscaster and host of the TNT show Inside the NBA. He hosts the show Inside the NBA alongside a star panel that includes Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O'Neal. Recently, he had to miss hosting the show as he was navigating a personal loss. Ernie Johnson lost his sister, 72-year-old Christine, to cancer.
On December 18, 2024, Adam Lefkoe, who was reportedly a stand-in for Johnson on the show Inside the NBA, announced the news, Sports Illustrated reported. While hosting the show, he informed the viewers of the program that,
Tonight we're going to pause for a moment to step away from basketball. We're going to send our deepest condolences to our friend and mentor Ernie Johnson. Yesterday Ernie's beloved sister Christine Johnson passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 72 years old.
Since Ernie Johnson's sister, Christine, wasn't a public figure or celebrity and has not shown herself in the spotlight much, very little is known about her. According to Distractify, Ernie has also credited his sister for his professional success. He points out that she taught him the "importance of resilience and maintaining a sense of purpose."
Ernie Johnson's co-hosts sent condolences as the sportscaster deals with his sister's death.
According to multiple news outlets, the rest of the show's cast, including Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith, also offered their condolences and support to Ernie Johnson as he navigates the loss of his sister.
Charles Barkley told Johnson, whom he refers to as the "family leader" of their Inside the NBA crew, shared his pain and asked him to be at home with his family and take care of them.
These guys are like brothers… Ernie’s the leader of our family and our family leader is going through pain. So, man, we love you. We miss you. You stay at home and take care of your family
Shaquille O’Neal, also one of the Inside the NBA crew, shared that the news of Christine's passing made him shed tears as he was reminded of his own family. Hence, he understood Johnson's pain,
We definitely feel his pain. I definitely feel his pain. We're brothers. We feel the hurt. When I got the text, made me shed a tear because it made me think of my sister… Made me think of my father, made me think of Chuck’s mother. So we’re definitely hurting for you, Ernie. We love you. Take your time coming back…”
Meanwhile, Kenny Smith, while empathizing with the difficult time his co-host is going through, also talked about the good things because
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So, you know, you have to take some of the bad, but there’s been a lot of good. Tons. We love you, Ernie. We love you…
According to Christine's Obituary, a memorial service will be held at 11 am at Roswell Funeral Home.
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