*TNT’s Ernie Johnson – the “Inside the NBA” anchor forced to endure the shenanigans of commentators Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal – won the 2015 Sports Emmy Award for best studio host – then immediately handed it over to the daughters of Stuart Scott, who died in January following a lengthy battle with cancer.
“As for this [the award], there is only one place it belongs and that’s on the mantel at Stuart Scott’s house,” Johnson said of the late ESPN anchor before calling up Scott’s daughters. “This is not for me.”
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the 36th annual Sports Emmy Awards at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Johnson beat Scott in his category, as well as Bob Costas, Rich Eisen, Keith Olbermann and Matt Vasgersian.
Giving the award to Scott’s daughters was by far the highlight of the night and many of the attendees took to social media to praise Johnson for the act.
Watch the moving moment below:
NBC Sports Group, which includes NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, MSNBC, USA and nbcolympics.com combined for 17 awards, while ESPN’s family of networks (ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPNews) received 10.
NBC’s big winner was the XXII Olympic Winter Games, which took home seven awards. HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” won the Outstanding Sports Journalism category.