It’s a new world. No longer will we see Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and that big guy from the Lakers on our screens. Yes, we’re talking about Shaq, and yes, we’re talking about Inside the NBA on TNT. After over 3 decades of faithful coverage of the sport we all adore, a new era descends upon the iconic show. And as the equally iconic crew signed off from TNT, Ernie Johnson could barely contain himself as he expressed his disappointment.

After airing its first episode in 1989, Inside the NBA on TNT gripped fans like no other basketball show on air. What started off as TNT covering NBA games after acquiring the broadcasting rights quickly snowballed into a show filled with more highlights than Michael Jordan’s career. But now the NBA has handed over its broadcast rights to Amazon. After several months of back and forth, they finally agreed on an 11-year, $76 billion deal. So, now, we have to bid goodbye to Inside the NBA. And even as he signed off with a message of hope for the viewers, staff, and even the network of Inside the NBA, Ernie Johnson showed raw, unfiltered emotion.

“If I had written the script, the NBA and TNT would be together forever… But while I was disappointed and I was sad, I was not bitter… Gratitude is the operative word for me…I’m grateful that I’ve worked with you guys. I’m grateful for all of the relationships we’ve built professionally and personally through the years. You just don’t realize that until you see people here on the road and say, ‘Hey, this is probably going to be it.’ And you think back to all the good times you had,” said Ernie.

Ernie concluded his message by saying that it wasn’t only him who was grateful. Ernie brought up all the crew members who would go on to get jobs with NBC or Amazon. “And you know how they got those jobs?” he asked rhetorically. “Because their resume says NBA on TNT,” he said in response to his own question.

Now, as a longtime fan of the show, you may be wondering what’s next. Well, you shouldn’t be that worried about Inside the NBA moving off TNT. Allow us to tell you why.

Here’s what’s next for Ernie Johnson and Inside the NBA

So, the NBA on TNT era is over. What now? Well, for Inside the NBA, hopefully, this is nothing more than a change of location. And that applies to Ernie, Chuck, Shaq, and Kenny, as well. You see, broadcasting giant ESPN acquired the rights to the iconic show in a landmark deal with Warner Bros last November. In exchange, TNT will now have exclusive rights to several Big 12 football and men’s college basketball games.

But what does all this mean for changes to Inside the NBA? Nothing, we hope. Even Shaquille O’Neal expressed that nothing would change about the show itself on ESPN. “Even though the name changes, the engine stays the same. To that new network we’re coming to, we’re not coming to ‘F’ around,” he said. A fitting final message for Shaq as a TNT analyst.

We have it from Big Diesel himself. But even beyond that, Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, acquired Inside the NBA for a reason. After all, with their own issues with half-time shows and the like, we don’t think ESPN will want to mess with the established formula. Especially when the formula has yielded one of the most successful shows in the history of sports broadcasting.

So, Inside the NBA fans, don’t worry. Your beloved show is leaving TNT, but you can find it by simply flipping the channel. However, we’ll always have a place in our hearts for NBA on TNT!