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Ernie Johnson got a nice surprise while working "The Match" on Thursday night.
It came from a longtime friend and broadcast partner.
Charles Barkley paused coverage of the golfing exhibition to inform Johnson that he had been elected to the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Barkley said while making the announcement he was the only person on set aware of the news. Johnson certainly didn't see it coming.
"This is big," Barkley said. "I'm the only person up here that knows this. I want to be the first person — it's an honor and a privilege to congratulate Ernie Johnson going into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame."
Johnson, rarely speechless, gathered himself for a moment after hearing the news.
"Get out of here," he responded. "Chuckster, what are you talking about?"
Johnson then joked he was taking the rest of the day off while thanking Barkley and the voters who elected him.
"It means the world to me," Johnson continued. "I've been at this for 34 years at the same place, over 40 years in broadcasting. I'm stunned."
It was a touching moment and a well-deserved honor for one of the best-liked and most-respected professionals in sports media. Johnson has helmed the "Inside the NBA" desk since 1989. He's spent most of that time working alongside Barkley as well as Kenny Smith and more recently Shaquille O'Neal. The show is beloved by its fans and has earned countless awards and recognitions, including 17 Sports Emmys, with Johnson at the center of it all.
It's frankly surprising that Johnson, 66, wasn't inducted a long time ago. Now he joins Barkley, who was inducted to the Hall in 2021. Marv Albert, Chris Berman, Joe Buck and John Madden are also among the inductees.
Smith and O'Neal are not. Not yet, at least — a fact that Barkley will surely be glad to hold over his set mates at the next on-air opportunity. In the meantime, congratulations to EJ.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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