“Roundball Rock” is coming home.
NBC answered the biggest question many have had since it won back NBA rights last July during Saturday's coverage of the Kentucky Derby when it aired a 60-second commercial featuring John Tesh's iconic theme song.
The song was the soundtrack of NBC’s coverage of the NBA from 1990 until 2002 along with the Chicago Bulls dynasty of six NBA titles.
“Roundball Rock is one of the greatest pieces of theme music in sports history. Hearing it immediately conjures images of NBC Sports’ coverage of one of the golden ages of the NBA, from Magic to Michael to Kobe and many others," NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said. "It was a pleasure working with John Tesh to bring Roundball Rock back to NBC, and we’re equally excited to hear its debut on Peacock. We couldn’t imagine beginning our coverage any other way.”
The spot features current NBA stars Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with stars from NBC shows humming the theme. It concludes with Tesh playing “Roundball Rock” on a keyboard in the center of Los Angeles' Intuit Dome — the home of the Los Angeles Clippers — before cutting to the front row where Tracy Morgan says, “John Tesh still got it.”
Tesh has often said he composed “Roundball Rock” in July 1989 after he woke up in the middle of the night with the idea. Without instruments or a tape recorder, Tesh left an a cappella message on his answering machine so he wouldn’t forget it.
“I’m truly honored to be back with my friends at NBC Sports,” Tesh said in a statement. “From our first meeting, Rick Cordella had a powerful vision for bringing Roundball Rock back to its one true home. Along with millions of other fans, I’ll be front row center for the epic launch in the fall.”
During the media rights negotiations last year, Tesh created a bit of a social media frenzy when he announced he was going into the recording studio to do an updated version of “Roundball Rock." However, it was for NBC's coverage of the Paris Olympics.
NBC's 11-year agreement with the NBA and WNBA begins in October. Peacock will exclusively stream games on Monday night while NBC/Peacock will have regional doubleheaders on Tuesday. NBC and Peacock will also launch “Sunday Night Basketball” in January.
NBC also announced on Saturday that Carmelo Anthony will be part of its studio coverage.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
FILE - John Tesh is interviewed in Los Angeles Monday, April 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Maxim Naumov returned to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Thursday night, the final place that his parents watched him compete, and managed to hold his emotions in check until a standing ovation carried the 24-year-old right off the ice.
Once in the kiss-and-cry area, Naumov finally allowed tears to trickle down his cheeks.
It was less than a year ago that his parents, former world champions Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, died when their plane crashed into a military helicopter on approach to Washington, D.C., and fell into the icy Potomac River. A total of 67 people were killed, including more than two dozen returning from a development camp following the U.S. championships in Wichita, Kansas.
Many were young skaters, taught by the elder Naumov and Shishkova, who looked up to their son.
“It's all about being resilient,” Naumov said later, when asked how he made it through such an emotional return to nationals. "That's the feeling and mentality I've clung to this entire season. And I find in times of really difficult emotional stress, if you can just push yourself a little bit more, and almost think, ‘What if? What if I can do it? What if, despite everything that happened to me, I can go out and do it?’
“And that,” Naumov said, “is where you find strength, and that's where you grow as a person.”
Naumov brought an old photograph with him to the kiss-and-cry area Thursday night. It showed him perhaps 3 years old, his parents by his side, stepping onto the ice in white skates for the first time at the International Skating Center of Connecticut.
“They didn't have black skates in my size at the time,” he said, "but that's OK. I was just happy to be on the ice.”
One of the last conversations Naumov had with his parents was about the Olympics, and what it would take to earn a spot on the American team next month in Italy. His short program Thursday night, which began with a quad salchow and ended with a triple-triple combination, was good enough to briefly give him the lead, and keep him in the mix heading into Saturday's free skate.
“My dad would have told me to keep fighting for that salchow,” Naumov said.
What would his mother have said?
“My mom never watched me skate. I don't think she watched past maybe 13, 14 years old,” Naumov replied, smiling. “Typically I'd be calling her in the next 5 minutes, and you know, she'd be saying, ‘OK, good job. But we’ve already forgot about it. We're thinking about the free already.' Those are her words, exactly.”
The 24-year-old Naumov was fourth at nationals a year ago, and he had returned home from Wichita on an earlier flight. His mom and dad stayed behind for the development camp and were making their own way home when the plane crash occurred.
In the days, weeks and months that followed, the younger Naumov became in some ways the face of the tragedy. He performed at a benefit in Washington that raised more than $1.2 million for the victims’ families, and he left an exhibition gala crowd during the world championships in Boston — hosted by his own Skating Club of Boston — standing in heartfelt admiration.
Naumov has even taken up leadership of the renowned club's youth academy, which was started by his parents.
“You know, even at a time like this, having the opportunity to be here, it's just another example of how capable I am in really difficult times,” Naumov said. “It's just more and more confidence built in for me, and just having a lot of mental strength.”
There have been other tributes to the victims of the crash during this year's nationals.
On the opening night, 16-year-old Sophie Joline Von Felten — another member of the Skating Club of Boston — brought two photos of her own to the kiss-and-cry area. One was of Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, who were killed in the crash, the other of Jinna Han and her mother, Jin Hee Han, who also lost their lives that night.
“I just tried to skate for them and feel them with me,” Von Felten said, “and feel like their souls were with me.”
Yet no moment was as poignant as when Naumov, dressed in a simple white shirt and black slacks, stepped off the ice Thursday night. He got a big hug from his coach, Vladimir Petrenko, and then kissed that old, faded photograph of himself and his parents.
When he talks about making the Olympic team, he refers to “we," as if his parents are still by his side.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Maxim Naumov competes during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his parents while he waits for his scores after competing during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. Naumov's parents were killed in a plane crash in early 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov competes during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov holds a photo of his parents while he waits for his scores after competing during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. Naumov's parents were killed in a plane crash in early 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov competes during the men's short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
