Earlier in the year, PRhyme, the duo of DJ Premier & Royce 5’9″, were commissioned to create the theme song for ESPN’s NBA Countdown. “Rockin’ With The Best” was one minute of pure boom bap Hip-Hop, accompanied by a video featuring footage of the league’s biggest and brightest stars intercut with B-Boys and B-Girls rocking. Now, with the NBA Finals approaching, the NBA has tapped The Legendary Roots Crew for its theme song.

“Champion” speaks to the “blood, sweat and tears” required to become the best in the world. “Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up,” says Black Thought in the song’s opening. In typical Roots fashion, they don’t conform to theme song conventions. Rather, they have created a full song with substantive lyrical content and a lush musical arrangement that embodies the spirit of champions.

The video promo for the song also ups the ante. Set on the type of outdoor court where one can imagine basketball legends are made, The Roots are shown at full strength playing the new song titled “Show Me You’re A Champion.” As they perform the song, which speaks to the “blood, sweat and tears” required to become the best in the world, there is a tour of NBA legends that take the court, showcasing some of their most famous moments. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and more are superimposed into the scene, as if they were playing on those courts when making those championship memories.