Roundball Rock

"Roundball Rock" 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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

A 2013 Saturday Night Live sketch shows Tesh (portrayed by Jason Sudeikis) with his fictional brother Dave (Tim Robinson) playing the song for NBC executives, complete with lyrics. The real John Tesh called the bit "the greatest thing that's ever happened to me" and says he shows it in his concerts.

Fox Sports announced in December 2018 that it had acquired the rights to "Roundball Rock", which it now plays for CBB on FOX. 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.

In 2024, Tesh indicated to The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz that "Roundball Rock" would return to NBC under a new arrangement for the 2024 Summer Olympics and potential regain of NBA rights.