Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba basketball! The iconic anthem “Roundball Rock” by John Tesh returned to NBC on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, during Peacock’s coverage of the NBA Preseason matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Roundball Rock’s debut on Peacock
A fuller version of Roundball Rock in the intro for tonight’s Peacock NBA preseason game. pic.twitter.com/gvcvPRMlFg
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) October 15, 2025
NBA on NBC broadcaster Noah Eagle welcomed the audience to the tune of “Roundball Rock” from Fiserv Forum. While NBC’s preseason coverage began the previous week, Tuesday marked the first use of the original theme.
Although many fans celebrated the triumphant return of the song, it faced some criticism. SiriusXM NBA host Rob Perez shared his thoughts on X in three parts:
- “We cannot come straight out of commercial into Roundball Rock. There needs to be the anticipation of the laser peacock intro first, or a full matchup graphic overlay with a swipe on top of the aerial citywide view.”
- “The crescendo of the opening beat drop cannot be obstructed. Broadcasters need to let it breathe before welcoming us.”
- “There are two different choruses during Roundball Rock. The latter is meant to be played when the broadcast camera shifts inside and shows players running out of the tunnel, naturally segueing into the courtside broadcast team’s pregame show as the music slowly fades. This second beat is essential to setting the tone, building drama, and injecting the proper dose of nostalgia. It has to run for 2-3 seconds.”
The shredded version of Roundball Rock
The return of “Roundball Rock” has been widely anticipated by fans of NBC’s coverage. Tesh also released an alternative version of the song, expected to be used as well.
Tesh composed the original version of the song in 1990, and it was a staple of NBC’s NBA coverage from 1990 to 2002. Although NBC’s NBA coverage took a long hiatus, the song continued in NBC’s Summer Olympics coverage of Team USA Basketball and FOX’s College Basketball broadcasts. With “Roundball Rock” returning to the NBA on NBC, FOX announced it will debut a new theme for its College Basketball coverage.
In 2013, a Saturday Night Live sketch featured Tesh (portrayed by Jason Sudeikis) and his fictional brother Dave (Tim Robinson) pitching the song to NBC executives, complete with lyrics. The real John Tesh called the skit “the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Hear T.J. Rives and Steve Carney discuss the return of “The NBA on NBC” on the newest “Last Word On Sports Media Podcast” by clicking play below,
It almost didn’t happen
The return of “Roundball Rock” was not a sure thing. On November 14, 2024, CNBC reported that a deal had not yet been finalized for Tesh’s theme to return to NBC. However, on May 3, 2025, NBC Sports announced during its Kentucky Derby coverage that “Roundball Rock” would serve as the main theme for its NBA coverage. The network has featured the song in various promos, including Tesh performing it on the piano at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Widely regarded by many as the greatest sports theme of all time, “Roundball Rock” evokes nostalgia for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990s.
