{"id":2964,"date":"2025-05-18T03:08:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T07:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/john-teshs-roundball-rock-makes-a-triumphant-return-to-nbc-nba-broadcasts\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T03:08:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T07:08:10","slug":"john-teshs-roundball-rock-makes-a-triumphant-return-to-nbc-nba-broadcasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.red94.net\/news\/john-teshs-roundball-rock-makes-a-triumphant-return-to-nbc-nba-broadcasts\/","title":{"rendered":"John Tesh’s ‘Roundball Rock’ Makes a Triumphant Return to NBC NBA Broadcasts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1. <\/strong>NBC declared during the Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday that the iconic \u201cRoundball Rock\u201d will be revived as the NBA on NBC theme song starting in the 2025-26 season when the network resumes NBA broadcasts.<\/p>\n

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This dynamic instrumental piece served as NBC\u2019s theme music from 1990 until 2002.<\/p>\n

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John Tesh, the composer of \u201cRoundball Rock,\u201d appeared on this week\u2019s SI Media With Jimmy Traina<\/em> to discuss the enduring appeal of the tune, his renewed partnership with NBC, and the origins of the song back in 1989.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s truly humbling,\u201d remarked Tesh, \u201cI have composed hundreds of songs, yet this one has really resonated with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tesh acknowledged that \u201cRoundball Rock\u201d gained even more popularity after NBC ceased broadcasting NBA games and the rights shifted to ABC\/ESPN, leading to the theme song fading from basketball broadcasts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I first submitted it in 1989, it was just another theme,\u201d said Tesh. \u201cEven during its run in the \u2018Showtime Era,\u2019 it was just another piece of music. It wasn\u2019t until Saturday Night Live<\/em> did their sketch in 2013 that it reentered the public consciousness, often evoking nostalgia for the \u2018good old days.\u2019 It\u2019s since taken on a life of its own, and I\u2019m just along for the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Interestingly, Tesh was on the verge of altering the original composition but decided against it after facing criticism from social media users.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was strange for me initially when I announced last August that we were heading to Nashville to record a new version. I was overwhelmed by responses from people demanding the original version, urging me not to change it,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

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During the interview, Tesh also mentioned that his agreement to license \u201cRoundball Rock\u201d to NBC covers the entire 11-year duration of NBC\u2019s renewed broadcasting contract with the NBA.<\/p>\n

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Besides discussing \u201cRoundball Rock\u201d, Tesh reminisced about his decade hosting Entertainment Tonight<\/em>, starting his career as a local TV reporter for CBS in New York at age 22, and even dating Oprah Winfrey during the 1970s.<\/p>\n

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You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina<\/em> podcast below or on platforms like Apple and Spotify.<\/p>\n

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