Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. Today we speak with Ernie Johnson Jr.

a three-time sports Emmy Award winner and popular host of T&T's Inside the

NBA. He is also the author of a new book about his life,

unscripted, the unpredictable moments that make life extraordinary. Ernie discusses

his rise to the top of sports broadcasting and how his life intersected

with his faith when his path took some unexpected turns.

I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where my father was a big league ball player. He played for the Milwaukee

Braves in the 50s and was part of their world championship team that beat the

New York Yankees in the World Series and my early years it was all about baseball.

Every home movie that you see of our family I've got a bat in the ball into the

front yard playing and that was really my dream.

And then when the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta,

we moved in the mid-60s down south

and that's basically where I've been ever since. We'd go to the stadium

when I was really small because as he transitioned from being a player to a broadcaster.

And I was able to tag along with him a lot.

I'd be hanging out of the batting cage,

you know, watching the brave stick batting practice and Hank Aaron's

asking me how my little league team is doing.

So for a for a kid it was it was like this dream childhood and that really is where I

where I learned so much from my father. In high school I was a pretty good player but it wasn't like I had

colleges beating down my door or sending me letters saying please come and play

...