In this episode, Dr. Wright interviews sports personality Ernie Johnson, Jr., who is the host of Turner Sports’ NBA coverage and TNT’s Emmy award-winning program, Inside the NBA. He is the studio host for Turner and CBS’s NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship coverage, and does play-by-play reporting for TBS’s exclusive coverage of the MLB and the PGA Championship.  Ernie has covered many major sporting events and earned various awards, holds degrees from Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and the University of Georgia, has been married to his wife Cheryl for nearly 38 years, and is the father of 6 children.

Dr. Wright asks Ernie to explain how he came to be where he is now as a man of faith in the public sphere, and Ernie recounts his turning to Jesus in December of 1997 under the ministry of IWU graduate Kevin Myers, as well as the way this turning point actually helped him to be better at his job as a sportscaster.  Ernie uses the analogy of a pie to describe the role of faith in his life; rather than being a piece of the pie, as some other element of his life, his faith is the crust that holds everything together and impacts all other parts of life.  In his work, Ernie responds to the real-life events happening based on ‘who he is’, and has a platform to speak about his faith because it is part of ‘who he is’.  Ernie discusses his role on Inside the NBA, and clarifies that his colleagues respect him as a person of faith because he’s true to himself and they see what really matters to him.

One of the most important things in Ernie’s life is his family, and Dr. Wright asks about the challenges that have come along with Ernie’s unique family situation.  Ernie and his wife adopted four children after having two biological children, and three of their adopted children have special needs.  One of their children, Michael, has muscular dystrophy; he is susceptible to many different health issues, and has been on a ventilator for 9 years.  There are challenging points in the parenting journey, but Ernie is proud of and thankful for each of his kids.  He has found a great teammate in his wife, and has settled into a healthy rhythm with his wife of giving each other needed time away when they get tired.  The conversation concludes with the topics of Cheryl’s work, ways Ernie’s experience has shaped his ways of relating to others, the value inherent in all people, Ernie’s awards, and advice for people wanting to enter the same field as Ernie.

Links:

Learn more about Ernie, Turner Sports, and Inside the NBA.

Learn more about IWU grad Kevin Myers and his ministry.

Learn about Indiana Wesleyan University and its president, Dr. David Wright.