>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS AN EMMY AWARD-WINNING SPORTSCASTER AND
THE HOST OF TNT'S "INSIDE THE NBA."
PLEASE WELCOME ERNIE JOHNSON JR.!
( APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
ERNIE, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> Stephen: WELL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
YOU MUST BE A LITTLE BIT TIRED BECAUSE YOU WERE IN PHOENIX LAST
NIGHT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
>> I WAS, THE N.C.A.A.
CHAMPIONSHIPS, TARHEELS OF NORTH CAROLINA.
>> Stephen: ABSOLUTELY.
GIVE IT UP.
THERE ARE A LOT OF GAMES TO WATCH IN MARCH MADNESS.
68 TEAMS.
HOW MANY GAMES, IS IT 34 GAMES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
>> THERE ARE A BUNCH THAT FIRST WEEKEND.
>> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE TO WATCH ALL OF THEM?
>> YES, WE DO.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> AND HERE'S THE DEAL-- AND I TELL CHARLES AND KENNY WHO I
WORK WITH ALL THE TIME, WHEN THEY SAY, "THESE HOURS ARE SO
MUCH."
I SAY, "IF YOU HAD A BOSS WHO TOLD YOU THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF
THE TOURNAMENT ALL I WANT YOU TO DO IS WATCH MARCH MADNESS, YOU
WOULD PROBABLY SIGN UP FOR THAT."
SO WE GOT TO DO AND AND IT'S AWESOME.
IT'S A LOT OF HOMEWORK.
THERE ARE 68 TEAMS AND YOU'RE EXPECTED TO KNOW WHO ALL THE
PLAYERS ARE.
>> Stephen: BUT YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW WHO ALL THE
PLAYERS ARE.
>> NO, YOU CAN'T.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU-- WHEN A GUY MAKES A PLAY A TEAM YOU
KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, HOW DO YOU B.S. YOUR WAY THROUGH-- NOT THAT
YOU EVER WITHOUT WOULD-- BUT HOW DOES AN ANNOUNCER B.S. HIS WAY
THROUGH A PLAYER HE DOESN'T KNOW JACK ABOUT.
>> I WOULD SAY THERE ARE CERTAIN FALLBACK LINES.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE BACKUP GUARD FOR SOUTH DAKOTA STATE IS
-- >> Stephen: WILL FARBER?
>> IT'S HIM.
YOU CAN SAY HE SHOOTS THE THREE BALL, HE'S NOT REAL QUICK BUT,
OF COURSE, HAS GOOD HANDLES.
IF YOU SAY IT WITH CONVICTION, THEY'LL BE LIKE, "HE KNOWS
EVERYBODY ON THAT TEAM.
GLVMENT I DID NOT FOLLOW THAT AT ALL.
DID NOT FOLLOW THAT AT ALL.
WHO DID YOU HAVE GIHAD NORTH CAROLINA.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE NORTH CAROLINA IN YOUR BRACKET?
>> THAT'S GOING TO SOUND PHONY.
THE WEEK BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT, I WAS ALL ABOUT OREGON, AND THEY
LOST ONE OF THEIR BEST PLAYERS, AND I SAID WHEN I FILL OUT MY
BRACKET, I'M GOING NORTH CAROLINA.
IT WAS THE ONLY TEAM I HAD LEFT BY THE TIME IT GOT THERE, SO I
DID NOT WIN MY POOL.
>> Stephen: DID YOU SAY YOU FILLED OUT YOUR BRACKET A WEEK
BEFORE THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
>> NO, I PREDICTED OREGON A WEEK-- NO, BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT
STARTED NOT A WEEK -- >> Stephen: I THOUGHT YOU SAID
A WEEK AGO YOU FILLED IT OUT.
AND I THOUGHT, OF COURSE, ANYBODY CAN DO THAT.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BIG PROBLEM IS.
I FILL IT OUT AS I GO.
I NEVER MISSED ONE?
>> Stephen: YOU HOST "INSIDE THE NBA" ON T.N.T.
YOU HAVE BARKLEY, YOU HAVE SHAQ, YOU HAVE KENNY SMITH.
THOSE ARE BIG PERSONALITIES.
ARE YOU LIKE CAMP COUNSELOR?
HOW DO YOU CONTROL THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE?
YOU'RE THE HOST BUT THEY'RE PREVENTY POWERFUL PERSONALITIES.
>> IT'S BEEN CAMP COUNSELOR.
IT'S BEEN POINT GUARD.
IT'S BEEN TRAFFIC COP.
AND I THINK THAT'S A REAL INSULT TO REAL TRAFFIC COPS BECAUSE--
ESPECIALLY IN THIS CITY, IF YOU-- YOU KNOW, IF A TRAFFIC COP
IS TRYING TO MAKE SURE NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE INTERSECTION,
EVERYBODY GETS THROUGH.
I'M LIKE THE ROGUE TRAFFIC COP.
I WAVE QENY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, KNOWING FULL WELL
SHAQ WILL T-BONE HIM.
SO THAT'S -- >> Stephen: SHAQ IS ACTUALLY A
BIG GUY.
>> IF I WERE AN ACTUAL TRAFFIC COP I WOULD HAVE DESK DUTY OR
SOMETHING AT THIS POINT.
>> Stephen: SHAQ MUST BE SORT OF HARD TO WRANGLE.
HE'S A BIG PERSONALITY.
>> HE'S THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KID.
I GET TO-- I GET TO WORK WITH THESE GUYS.
I GREW UP WITH TWO OLDER SISTERS.
THIS IS AS CLOSE AS I'LL EVER COME TO HAVING BROTHERING.
AND WE ALL TREAT EACH OTHER THAT WAY.
BUT SHAQ IS JUST A BIG, HUGE KID, AND HE'S ALL ABOUT YOUTUBE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S 15 SECONDS BEFORE WE GO ON HALF TIME, AND HE'S GOT
SOME KIND OF MUSIC PLAYING IN FRONT OF HIM, AND HE'S GOT HIS
PHONE OUT, AND HE'S SINGING SOMETHING.
HE SAYS, "ERNIE, SING THIS VERSE WITH ME.
IT WILL GET LIKE TWO BILLION YOU TUBE HITS."
Y PLAY ALONG WITH HIM AT TIMES.
BUT HE IS.
HE'S JUST-- THEY ALL THREE ARE WONDERFUL.
AND SHAQ IS JUST-- YOU KNOW, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KID.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK "UNSCRIPTED: THE
UNPREDICTABLE MOMENTS THAT MAKE LIFE EXTRAORDINARY."
WHAT DO YOU MEAN ABOUT THE UNPREDICTABLE MOMENTS?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES IN YOUR OWN LIFE THAT HAVE MADE
YOUR LIFE EXTRAORDINARY?
>> I'VE TRIED TO WRITE THE SCRIPT AND I THINK, YOU KNOW,
FOR A LONG TIME-- YOU KNOW, I MARRIED A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN,
CHERYL.
WE'VE BEEN MARRIED FOR ALMOST 35 YEARS NOW.
( APPLAUSE ) THANK YOU.
AND I-- I REALLY-- I OUTKICKED MY COVERAGE BIG TIME.
SO I HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE AND A GREAT JOB AND WE HAD ERIC, WHO
IS HERE TONIGHT.
HE'S SITTING SOMEWHERE.
HE'S 32 YEARS OLD, MY FIRST-- THERE HE IS RIGHT THERE.
( APPLAUSE ) AND SO I HAD A BOY AND A GIRL
AND A GREAT WIFE AND A GREAT JOB, AND THAT'S EXACT LET'S WAY
I SCRIPTED IT.
BUT THEN THE UNSCRIPTED HAPPENS, AND MY WIFE SEES A SPECIAL ABOUT
ROMANIAN ORPHANS IN 1990, AND SHE SAYS, "WE SHOULD ADOPT ONE
OF THOSE KIDS."
SHE GOES TO ROMANIA, ADOPTAISE LITTLE BOY, WHO IS EVENTUALLY
DIAGNOSED WITH MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.
SO NOW THAT THE SCRIPT THAT WE HAD WRITTEN, IT GOES TOTALLY
UNSCRIPTED.
AND A LOT OF KIDS DON'T GET OUT OF THEIR TEENS WHEN THEY GOT
M.D.
HE'S 28 YEARS OLD NOW.
HE'S A MIRACLE.
( APPLAUSE ) AND HIS NAME IS MICHAEL.
AND WE ADOPTED A LITTLE GIRL FROM PARAGUAY.
AND WE ADOPTED TWO GIRLS OUT OF FOSTER CARE ABOUT SEVEN OR EIGHT
YEARS AGO BECAUSE MY WIFE-- SEE, LOOK, MY WIFE IS THE WORLD-- I'M
A SPORTSCASTER, STEPHEN.
SHE'S THE WORLD CHANGER.
SHE'S THE ONE WHO WORKS WITH ADDICTED WOMEN.
SHE'S THE ONE WHO FIGHTS CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING AND SAYS A LOT
OF GIRLS AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND GET LURED INTO THAT.
LET'S ADOPT ONE.
WE ADOPTED TWO.
IT'S THESE UNSCRIPTED MOMENTS THAT WE DON'T RUN AWAY FROM.
EY EMBRACE THEM, AND IT MAKES OUR LIFE WORTHWHILE.
>> Stephen: THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, ERNIE.
>> IT'S BEEN MY PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
"UNSCRIPTED" IS ON SALE NOW.
ERNIE JOHNSON JR., EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY FATHER JOHN
MISTY.