Tag: john tesh

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog roasted the idea that losing Inside the NBA is worth getting Roundball Rock back

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a voice of reason in difficult NBA times.

As the future of TNT’s beloved basketball analysis program Inside the NBA is up in the air, fans are trying to console themselves by celebrating the return of another beloved hoops broadcast staple.

Warner Bros. Discovery possibly losing the rights to NBA coverage would signal the end to Inside the NBA as we know it, but NBC regaining broadcasting rights for the league in 2025 means John Tesh’s classic “Roundball Rock” musical intro will return to the airwaves.

Well, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog of all people (er, puppets) has emerged as a voice of reason in the midst of the broadcast uncertainty.

With puppet master/comedy legend Robert Smigel at his side, Triumph absolutely lambasted the exchange of Inside the NBA for “Roundball Rock” on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday.

“What a great deal; we’re trading Charles Barkley for John Tesh,” Triumph joked to the program. “That’s a fair trade. Maybe we can trade Kenny Smith for Yanni.”

Some censored NSFW language to follow. 

Look, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has a very clear point here. As cool as “Roundball Rock” is for nostalgic reasons, losing Inside the NBA as we know it is not fixed by getting a broadcast jingle back.

Hopefully, cooler heads prevail somehow, and Inside the NBA survives the broadcast rights dilemma facing Warner Bros. Discovery. However, Triumph’s point looms large. Is this really the payoff it’s billed to be?

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1373]

John Tesh revealed that NBC already has plans to revive ‘Roundball Rock’ if it acquires NBA broadcasting rights

NBC seems CONFIDENT.

Over the past couple months, it has looked increasingly possible that NBA broadcasting rights could leave TNT for the first time in 40 years and return to NBC. And the execs over at NBC are apparently so confident about the rights acquisition that plans are already in place to revive one of the most iconic musical intros in American sports.

When the NBA left NBC back in 2002, it effectively ended “Roundball Rock” in sports television. Fox Sports has used it in college hoops coverage, but otherwise it has been a relic of basketball nostalgia.

Well, the song’s composer, John Tesh, revealed how that could change very soon.

In an interview with Dan Le Batard, Tesh said that NBC has full plans in place to re-record the song. It also has orchestra on hold to get that process started once (or if) the deal becomes official.

Now, the fact that NBC is already thinking about plans for the theme song sure makes the deal seem all but certain. But reports as of Tuesday have pointed to a last-minute push from Warner Bros. Discovery to retain the rights and save programming like TNT’s Inside the NBA.

We’ll have to see how the negotiations play out, but a return of “Roundball Rock” will definitely be welcomed.

It’s so good.