Charles Barkley insists this year will be last for him — and Ernie Johnson — on ‘Inside the NBA’

Here we go again. And maybe for the last time. Charles Barkley, 63, has put another timeline on the end of his “Inside the NBA” run, but he insists that not only will he be leaving, but Ernie Johnson may be departing with him. Barkley said during a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he expects the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season to be his last on “Inside the NBA,” adding that Johnson will be joining him in retirement. “Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.” Charles Barkley says — again — that he will retire from broadcasting, this time following the 2025-26 NBA campaign. Getty Images Johnson, 70, has not publicly announced his retirement, making Barkley’s revelation with Simmons pa