Roundball Rock

1990 single by John Tesh
"Roundball Rock"
Single by John Tesh
Released1990
Recorded1990
GenreRock
Length2:49
LabelGTS Records
Songwriter(s)John Tesh
Producer(s)John Tesh

"Roundball Rock"[1] is a musical composition by John Tesh and used for The NBA on NBC from 1990 until 2002. NBC played the theme 12,000 times during their run. Tesh came up with the melody while at a hotel and called his answering machine at home to sing a preliminary version of the melody so he would not forget it.[2][3] A more rock-oriented variant was introduced in 1997 to coincide with the debut of the WNBA. That theme was also used until 2002, and on NBC's WNBA telecasts only. Since 2018, it has been used as the theme song for CBB on FOX.[4]

Appearances after 2002

When ABC and ESPN took over broadcasting rights for the National Basketball Association (NBA) from NBC, Tesh offered them the rights to also use his theme, but they declined and chose to compose their own theme music instead.[5][6] The theme is still memorable three decades later, especially because of its association with the NBA's ascendance in the 1990s. Tesh released a free MP3 version on his website to commemorate the 2008 NBA Finals.[7]

The tune was revived for NBC's coverage of basketball at the Summer Olympics in 2008, 2016, and 2020 as it was used in commercial bumpers and starting lineup announcements.[8][9]

The theme was sampled by Nelly for his song "Heart of a Champion" from his studio album, Sweat, and compilation album Sweatsuit. "Roundball Rock" was also used in The Boondocks episode "Ballin'".

A re-recording of the tune is used by Tesh as theme music for his syndicated radio show, as well as for the television series Intelligence for Your Life that Tesh co-hosts with his wife Connie Sellecca.

Fox Sports announced in December 2018 that it had acquired the rights to "Roundball Rock", which it now plays for CBB on FOX.[10] CBB on FS1 had used their old theme (a "marching band" variant of the NFL on FOX theme), the same one as CFB on FOX/FS1, but switched to this theme for the 2019-20 college basketball season.

References

  1. ^ TV Theme - NBC, NBA 02.wav
  2. ^ Gayomali, Chris (26 May 2011). "Watch: How John Tesh Wrote the NBA's Iconic Theme Song". Time. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  3. ^ John Tesh (12 August 2008), 'ORIGINAL' NBA on NBC Theme - Roundball Rock - John Tesh, retrieved 18 June 2019
  4. ^ "Fox Sports is bringing John Tesh's iconic 'Roundball Rock' back to basketball broadcasts". For The Win. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  5. ^ Rovell, Darren (12 June 2002). "The day Tesh's music might die". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  6. ^ "The Second Wind of John Tesh's NBA Theme". The Wall Street Journal. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  7. ^ Tesh, John (12 June 2008), "John Tesh Scores Points With NBA Fans by Offering Free Download of His Classic NBA Theme 'Roundball Rock' in Honor of the 2008 NBA Finals", PR Newswire, retrieved 13 November 2011
  8. ^ Chase, Chris (10 August 2008). "The music of John Tesh is eternal". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  9. ^ "NBC Olympics brings back iconic 'Roundball Rock' theme song for men's and women's basketball in Tokyo". NBC Sports Group (Press release). 24 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Fox Sports is bringing John Tesh's iconic 'Roundball Rock' back to basketball broadcasts". For The Win. Retrieved 7 December 2018.

Further reading

  • Gay, Jason (26 May 2011). "The Second Wind of John Tesh's NBA Theme". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  • Malooley, Jake (27 July 2020). ""BA-BA DA-DA-DA BAAA!": An Oral History of "Roundball Rock"". The Ringer. Retrieved 4 October 2023.

External links

  • Roundball Rock on teshmedia.com
  • 'ORIGINAL' NBA on NBC Theme - Roundball Rock - John Tesh - facebook.com/JohnTesh on YouTube
  • v
  • t
  • e
Broadcast partners
Defunct networks
Cable/Streaming partnersNBA owned & operated
entitiesTelevision programs
Pre-game
Post-game
News and highlights
programs
ESPN
NBA TV
Broadcasters by eventLocal broadcastersInternational
broadcastersCommentatorsMusic
  • "Roundball Rock"
Miscellaneous
Decade summaries
  • v
  • t
  • e
Current broadcast partners
Secondary broadcast partners
Specialty broadcast partners
Former broadcast partners
General media
Commentators by network
Broadcasters by event
  • AAC Tournament Finals
  • ACC Tournament Finals
  • America East tournament Finals
  • ASUN Tournament Finals
  • Atlantic 10 Tournament Finals
  • Big 12 Tournament Finals
  • Big East tournament Finals
  • Big Eight tournament Finals
  • Big Sky tournament Finals
  • Big Ten tournament Finals
  • Big West tournament
  • CBI Finals
  • CIT Finals
  • Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
  • Conference USA Tournament
  • Horizon League Tournament Finals
  • MAAC Tournament Finals
  • McDonald's All-American Game
  • Men's Final Four
  • Metro Conference tournament Finals
  • Mid-American Conference tournament Finals
  • Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament Finals
  • Missouri Valley Conference tournament Finals
  • Northeast Conference tournament Finals
  • Pacific-12 Tournament Finals
  • Patriot League Tournament Finals
  • SEC Tournament Finals
  • Southern Conference tournament Finals
  • Southland Tournament Finals
  • Southwest Tournament Finals
  • Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament Finals
  • Summit League Tournament Finals
  • Sun Belt Tournament Finals
  • WAC Tournament Finals
  • West Coast Conference tournament
  • Women's Final Four
Other
  • v
  • t
  • e
Related
programs
Non-NBA programs
Related
articles
NBC Sports Regional Networks
Bay Area (Golden State Warriors)
Boston (Boston Celtics)
California (Sacramento Kings)
Chicago (Chicago Bulls)
Northwest (Portland Trail Blazers)
Philadelphia (Philadelphia 76ers)
Commentators
Key figures
Play-by-play
Color
commentators
Sideline reporters
Studio analysts
Play-by-play (195462)
NBA Finals
WNBA Finals
All-Star Game
Lore
Rivalries
McDonald's
Championship
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • MusicBrainz work