According to TV host and smooth jazz icon, John Tesh, we could still be hearing “Roundball Rock,” the iconic theme song to The NBA on NBC, on our TVs every week. He told Charles Curtis of For the Win that he approached Disney in 2002, when ABC and ESPN won the NBA’s broadcast rights to see if they wanted to continue using his song.
“ABC, when they got (the NBA), we went to them and said, “If you want to use the theme, I own the publishing.””
“They said, “We’re looking for a different sound.””
“I didn’t want to beg or anything, I said, “I know Elton John and Billy Joel and Eric Clapton, I can get them all to play on the song, they love it.””
““No thanks.” Okay!”
Tesh famously came up with the idea for the song while serving as the host of the Tour de France for NBC. He then called his own answering machine to record his idea and pitched it to the network at a later date.
Disney passing on the chance to use “Roundball Rock” means it is almost never heard on TV these days. NBC has used it in spots, and Tesh says he makes about $30 whenever they do. At the peak of The NBA on NBC‘s popularity, Tesh told Darren Rovel that he was making six figures a year in royalties off that song. He still closes every concert with it.
