What if we told you Ernie Johnson is a mastermind?
The ESPN broadcaster “became the coolest grandpa in the history of the world” on Wednesday by posing for a picture with Taylor Swift at the NBA Finals Game 4.
In the Madison Square Garden courtside snap, the “Inside the NBA” host and Swift smiled with their arms around each other.
Johnson was suited up for the New York Knicks versus San Antonio Spurs sporting event, while the Grammy winner rocked a custom “Stevie Knicks” tee.
“My grandkids are so excited and so is my daughter,” the 69-year-old gushed to viewers. “She could not have been sweeter.
“Thank you very much,” Johnson continued. “I appreciate that very much, Taylor Swift.”
His colleagues, however, ribbed him for the embrace, with one co-host insisting it was “friendly” and not “a grandpa hug.”
The journalists went on to poke fun at “the smile on [Johnson’s] face,” with Charles Barkley quipping, “Mission accomplished.”
Ultimately, they joked Swift, 36, is “no Cheryl Ann,” referencing the sportscaster’s wife of more than four decades.
At another point in the evening, Johnson brought up his “moment with Taylor Swift” again — and got similarly trolled for his “sly smile” and the placement of his hand.
Johnson, meanwhile, told viewers, “You should see the thread of texts. I sent that to all my kids and grandkids.”
His fellow reports joked that Johnson should ask Swift and her fiancé, Travis Kelce, for “a wedding invite.”
The couple, who started dating in 2023, are going to tie the knot in July at the same arena where the New York-based team won 107 to 106 Wednesday.
Swift attended the game with pals Este Haim and Alana Haim, with the trio sitting beside “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay in the venue’s celebrity row.
The songwriter excitedly celebrated the win sans Kelce, who was in Missouri for the Kansas City Chiefs’ mandatory three-day minicamp.
She avoided a run-in with nemesis Scooter Braun, who was in attendance with girlfriend Sydney Sweeney, but did make headlines for hugging Kylie Jenner despite her decade-long Kim Kardashian feud.
