Less than two years later, Johnson took time off from the show following the death of his son, Michael, at age 33. “Inside the NBA” paid tribute to Michael Johnson during Ernie's absence, with O'Neal, Barkley and Smith offering comfort and support to their close friend and co-worker.
“To see a great man like this suffer hurts us all,” O’Neal said. “Ernie, you know I love you, you know we love you. I send my condolences to you and your family, and whatever you need from us, you know I’ll be there for the rest of my life.”
Smith said: “Ernie is the person we normally lean on. Ernie, this is the first time you need to lean on us.”
When he returned to the show on November 9, 2021, Johnson revealed that he had done just that.
“I heard what everyone was saying last week, and Kenny, you said it’s time for me to lean on you and my family did exactly that, leaning on the Turner family, friends, our faith because we lost our son Michael on Oct. 29,” Johnson said.
“To everyone out there, let me just say thank you for all the text messages, the phone calls, everyone who used social media in the kindest, most compassionate way possible. It’s very overwhelming for our family, so thank you so much for that. And we’re going to get through this, and we’re going to keep moving forward and we know that Michael is in better hands than we are right now.”
