John Tesh is an American TV host, songwriter, producer and musician, best known as the songwriter behind the theme song "Roundball Rock," which has been used by the NBA and NBC for over 12 years. In addition, he hosts the Intelligence for Your Life radio show with his wife, Connie Sellecca.
Tesh was born and raised on Long Island and went to college at North Carolina State University, where he studied communications and music. After taking a radio/film course in college, Tesh worked part-time reading the news for Rick Dees at WKIX (AM), and his college roommate helped Tesh break into the radio and journalism industry.
John Tesh attends the 16th annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards at The Wiltern on February 28, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
John Tesh's Career Outside Music Composition
Tesh's first TV career stint was as an anchor at a local news station in Nashville. He moved throughout various stations around the country, working in Atlanta, Orlando, Durham and New York City. He later moved to CBS and NBC, where he served as a sportscaster.
After writing many jingles and theme songs for various programs, including the theme music to Bobby's World, Tesh was assigned to write a theme song for NBA on NBC. He ended up writing one of the most iconic sports songs in history.
John Tesh performs during the 75th NBA All-Star Game as part of the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 15, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images
"Roundball Rock" made its NBC broadcast debut on November 3, 1990, during the opening season matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Other variants and remixes were made throughout the years for different organizations, such as the WNBA, in 1997. After NBC lost NBA and WNBA rights to ABC and ESPN in 2002, Tesh offered the incoming networks the rights to use his theme, but they declined and decided to compose their own theme music instead.
From 1990 to 2002, the tune was played over 12,000 times, making it one of the most iconic tunes in sports history.
What is John Tesh Doing Now?
Even if it's been more than 30 years since Tesh composed "Roundabout Rock," he is still very active in the TV and entertainment industry. He continues to host his nationally syndicated radio show, Intelligence for Your Life, and actively creates music. He released an album of sports-themed music titled Sports in August, and remains in stable condition while successfully fighting a 10-year battle with metastatic prostate cancer.
"The team at UT MD Anderson was by our side throughout my journey," he wrote in his 2020 memoir, Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith. "We are grateful for the care I received that is truly only possible here."
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