‘Roundball Rock’ Makes Triumphant Return but Some NBA Fans Still Aren’t Satisfied

There are some people out there who really, really care about a theme song written by former Entertainment Tonight host John Tesh and they have made their voices heard since it was announced the NBA would be returning to the NBC family of networks. “Roundball Rock,” a staple of 1990s broadcasts, has been given a second life—or maybe a third life since Fox used it for college basketball while nostalgia enthusiasts were loudly clamoring for its return. And so finally, with so much ground already behind us in this fight, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks played a preseason game on Tuesday night on Peacock to usher in the return of an old classic.

Here is what it sounded like as Noah Eagle set the stage for the exhibition match.

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

Now, if you think the realization of this moment after such a prolonged campaign to make it happen would be the end of the story, think again. As it turns out, this particular version of “Roundball Rock” may not have satiated the masses in the way one would hope.

There were pleas for a different version of the theme.

I am begging @NBAonNBC to use the version of Roundball Rock they used on TV broadcasts from 1990-2002 rather than the original long winded track. Like this. @paulsen_smw @WorldWideWob https://t.co/qEigpT36AP pic.twitter.com/yjUUqKHpXo
— Faisal Hassan (@Faazzla) October 15, 2025

And some helpful production notes about when to best unleash the asset.

Progress, but this a very precious asset that’s presentation needs to be executed more meticulously.

1) 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 + swipe… https://t.co/RMCtOcpNJr
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 15, 2025

So in short, though Tuesday night represented an important milestone for the history books when they chronicle the “Roundball Rock” saga, the work is not done. True appreciators for the song, like Andy Dufresne writing a letter to his friend, are asking a media rights holder willing to go this far to go just a bit further. They need the right version of this diddy played at the right time. Progress is not linear and it can be messy so perhaps it's no surprise there are missteps and detours along the way to perfection.