Milwaukee native Ernie Johnson, Jr. honored with Award of Excellence for spreading message of hope

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Friday night, NBA broadcaster Ernie Johnson, Jr. was honored at Fiserv Forum with the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation's Award of Excellence.

The foundation raises money for cancer research and honors a significant figure from the sports world every year.

Johnson knows the importance of this mission well, having survived two cancer diagnoses in his life.

He said it’s great to be back in his hometown where he spent the first eight years of his life and credits this community for playing an important role in his development, saying, "The place has always had a special spot."

Johnson’s talents have taken him to the highest levels of his profession, but Friday night he said he always remembers where he came from. "This is where I was born, North 68th Street, right near the Wauwatosa line, Endres Park."

Johnson's father played for, and then worked for, the Braves in Milwaukee before the family moved with the team to Atlanta.

The host of NBA on TNT was back in Milwaukee to accept the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation’s Award of Excellence for spreading a message of hope.

Johnson said when he heard he would receive the award, "I was blown away, I really was. The message is, when you're in this club nobody wants to be in, you have the responsibility and the opportunity to help the next person through it."

Johnson has survived non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, as well as prostate cancer. He credited faith, friends and family for helping him during his battles, and he’s hoping to share some of that strength with others also battling cancer.

Johnson said, "Membership in that club is still growing. That's all I'm trying to do; what I've experienced with cancer and at least try to make it easier for the next person to get through it."

A cocktail reception and silent auction preceded a dinner on the Fiserv Forum floor. Beneath the Bucks’ championship banner, the veteran NBA broadcaster shifted into work mode for a moment and said the Bucks could soon be hanging another banner from the rafters. "That's a team that's right there. A team that has the respect of everybody in the league for the way they go about their business."

Since the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation was established in 1971, it has raised more than $22 million for cancer research. All proceeds from Friday night’s event will help support that mission.