:24 HOOP: We enjoyed your poem to tip-off the NBA’s Legends Brunch during All-Star this year. When did you start writing poetry?
Johnson: When [Turner] still had the NFL, we had a wrap party for the crew after our final game, so I wrote one about things that had gone on that year. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that only the crew knew and they were just rolling.

:23 HOOP: Now that you’re on Twitter, do you have to write poems in 140 characters?
Johnson: I had no idea what Twitter was when we started, but it’s become a fun thing, because we’ve got a lot of NBA fans out there interacting with us.

:22 HOOP: We hear Charles refuses to join Twitter?
Johnson: Yeah, he just admitted the other day that he might have to get a computer.

:21 HOOP: When are we going to see EJ’s Tweet-O Stat of the Night?
Johnson: Wow, I hadn’t even thought about that. That’s a distinct possibility.

:20 HOOP: Where did the “Neat-O Stat of the Night” idea originally come from?
Johnson: I like to look at numbers, so I would find an interesting stat and throw it out, usually just to get Charles’ reaction. Now it’s hardly a stat at all. It’s more of an avenue to show old video or [Photoshop] Charles or Kenny into different situations.

:19 HOOP: Is it true that you get to the studio eight hours before tip-off to prep?
Johnson: During the regular season, it’s usually eight. On a playoff night, I try to make it six hours before tip. Driving home at 3 in the morning night after night, sometimes you can’t get in any earlier.

:18 HOOP: Did your love of stats come from growing up around baseball?
Johnson:Maybe in part, but I think also it’s just something that comes with my job. I need to be up on those just to keep the guys in check, too.

:17 HOOP:Do you have memories of your father’s baseball career at all?
Johnson:When they won the World Series in 1957, I was 1, so I don’t remember that. But I used to look at all the old scrapbooks from the Milwaukee Braves days, and I’ve seen some old home movies.

:16 HOOP:You played college baseball, right?
Johnson: I walked on at the University of Georgia as a freshman and was told to walk off as a sophomore.

:15 HOOP:What was it like working side-by-side with your dad in the Braves’ booth?
Johnson: I’ve been broadcasting since 1977, and I’ve gotten to do some very cool stuff, but that’s been the highlight. Sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, it doesn’t get any better than that.

:14 HOOP:It was your father who introduced you to the game of basketball, right?
Johnson:Yes, my indoctrination came when we moved to Atlanta and the Hawks were playing at Georgia Tech. My dad would take me down there all the time to see Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor, Wilt and Jerry West. That’s where my love for the game started.

:13HOOP:You’ve called or covered a wealth of sports. What’s been the most enjoyable for you to work on?
Johnson: Having Charles and Kenny together for the NBA season the last eight years, that’s really been the most enjoyable, because those guys come in and want to have fun every night.

:12 HOOP: It appears that you genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Durant:We really do. That kind of a working relationship, where you look forward to seeing each other in the studio, that’s really cool.

:11 HOOP: It seems like you have the ability to make fun of each other, too, which has to help.
Johnson:This is no place to be if you’ve got thin skin.

:10 HOOP: At what point did it start to click for you three?
Johnson:The first show that we did, we came out and Charles asked Kenny “What are you going to say?” and Kenny said, “You’ll find out.” That really set the tone for the next eight years.

:09 HOOP:You were a news reporter early on in your career. How different is this show for you?
Johnson: It’s like being in the toy department. It’s nothing like the life-and-death stories that you get on a daily basis when you’re doing news. It’s good to be able to laugh every day.

:08 HOOP: Would you consider yourself more of a coach on the set or a referee?
Johnson:People have called me a point guard, referee, ring master, traffic cop... I think that’s kind of an insult to traffic cops, because the good ones want to prevent fender benders. But for me, it’s good to get the guys going at each other.

:07 HOOP: HOOP: Despite your prep time, it seems like you enjoy setting them up to give their opinions rather than share yours.
Johnson: It’s all about knowing your role. These guys have played the game and been in every situation from Olympic games to championship games. I come at it from the standpoint of “What’s going to be a good conversation point that I can bring up?”

:06 HOOP: How often are you asking yourself, “What did he just say?”
Johnson:All the time.

:05 HOOP: We were setting you up to say your Rookie of the Year trophy.
Johnson:That’s in my studio room, where I do all my music and listen to music.

:04 HOOP: What’s your favorite or craziest Barkley moment?
Johnson: There’ve been so many. There was the time he was in the green room watching David Blaine try to set the underwater record. “Oh, I could do that,” [he said.] So we set up a big fish tank6 for him to stick his head in after the game.

:03 HOOP: Have you, Kenny and Charles ever gone fishing together?
Johnson: I am the world’s worst fisherman...I’m just not into it. I don’t know if Kenny is either, judging by his casts on the set.

:02 HOOP:That could be a good segment though.
Johnson:The three of us on a boat not being able to bait our hooks.

:01 HOOP:We started on poetry, let’s end talking bench press. You covered weight lifting during the Olympics. What’s EJ’s max?
Johnson:406 pounds. [laughs] I don’t even know. When I’m working out, I don’t usually try and impress anybody. I know looking at my physique it’s surprising to think I’m not a big weight lifter.