What is the net worth and salary of Ernie Johnson Jr.?
Ernie Johnson Jr is an American sports reporter who has a net worth of $16 million and an annual salary of $5 million. Ernie Johnson Jr. is a sportscaster for Turner Sports, serving as studio host on TBS for Major League Baseball coverage. Additionally, he hosts “Inside the NBA” on TNT and NBA TV and contributes to coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS Sports. Beyond basketball, Johnson does play-by-play coverage for the PGA Tour.
Youth
Ernie Johnson Jr. was born in 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His father was Ernie Johnson Sr., an MLB pitcher who later became a play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves. After his father’s retirement from professional baseball in 1959, Johnson moved his family to Atlanta, Georgia. He attended private Catholic school Brookhaven Marist School, graduating in 1974. He later attended the University of Georgia, where he was a first baseman in baseball his freshman year. Johnson graduated summa cum laude in 1978 with his B.A.
Career beginnings
Johnson began his career as a news anchor and reporter at a variety of local news stations. While still in college, he landed his first sports broadcasting gig at WAGQ-FM radio station in Athens, Georgia, serving as news and sports director. After that, in 1979, he became a news anchor at WMAZ-TV in Macon, a position he held until 1981. Johnson then became a news reporter at WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina, before returns to Atlanta to serve as general. news reporter at WSB-TV. In 1983, he also became that station’s weekend sports anchor.
NBA coverage
In 1989, Johnson joined Turner Sports. The following year, he began hosting the “Inside the NBA” postgame show on TNT. Joining Johnson in the studio are analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal, with occasional additions from other analysts such as Grant Hill, Draymond Green and Chris Webber. Over the years, “Inside the NBA” has received several Sports Emmy Awards.
Among his other basketball coverage hosting gigs, Johnson hosts “Tuesday Fan Night” with Chris Webber and Greg Anthony on NBA TV. He also hosts and moderates the channel’s “Open Court,” a show joined by rotating cast members discussing NBA history, current events and more. In addition to appearing on TNT and NBA TV, Johnson contributes to CBS Sports’ joint coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Other sports covers
Beyond basketball, Johnson has been assigned to cover a number of other sports throughout his career. He covered college football for TBS and, from 1993 to 1996, anchored baseball games with the Atlanta Braves and his father for SportSouth. From 2007 to 2009, Johnson was a studio host for TBS’s MLB coverage alongside Cal Ripken Jr. After that, he became a play-by-play announcer for the network, serving as the primary announcer for MLB playoff coverage. Meanwhile, at sister station Peachtre TV, he broadcast Atlanta Braves games. Johnson also does play-by-play for PGA Tour golf coverage on TNT.
Among his many positions selling services, Johnson as a studio host covering Wimbledon from 2000 to 2002 and was a studio host covering the NFL from 1990 to 1997; he did all this on TNT. On the international stage, Johnson was the main studio host for the 1990 FIFA World Cup; a play-by-play speed skating announcer for the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics; and lead play-by-play announcer for “Golf on TNT” from 2002 to 2006. He later became studio host for “MLB on TBS” and has been the play-by-play announcer since 2010.
Personal life and health
With his wife Cheryl, a professional counselor, Johnson has five children. Eric and Maggie are the couple’s biological offspring, while Carmen, Ashley and Allison were adopted. Another adopted child, Michael, died in 2021 from a severe form of muscular dystrophy. Although he was raised Catholic, Johnson identifies as an evangelical and regularly works with faith-based groups such as Athletes in Action, Samaritan’s Feet and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In 2003, Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He continued to work until June 2006, after nursing caused him to miss the last two major golf tournaments of the year. In that sense, Johnson returned in October, in that sense, while continuing chemotherapy. Later in 2018, he was diagnosed with blood clots in both legs, causing him to miss the MLB postseason on TBS.
