Basketball Jones

Zoo Freaks, get ready for some wild trivia about "Basketball Jones" by Cheech & Chong from their 1973 album Los Cochinos, spinning now at THE ZOO! This funky track, a parody of Love Jones by Brighter Side of Darkness, features Cheech Marin as Tyrone Shoelaces, singing in a hilarious falsetto about an all-consuming love for basketball. What makes this song a slam dunk? It’s got an all-star lineup, with George Harrison on guitar, Carole King on electric piano, Billy Preston on organ, and Tom Scott on saxophone, among others. The recording session was a spontaneous vibe—producer Lou Adler played the track for Harrison, who was in the next studio at A&M, and he jumped in, bringing along other music legends. Tommy Chong later shared in a 2018 Billboard interview that there’s a stash of unreleased outtakes from Harrison experimenting with riffs, which might see the light of day someday.

The song’s origin story is as wild as a fast break. According to a 2025 post on X, the idea sparked when Jack Nicholson was driving Cheech and Chong to a Lakers game, weaving through oncoming traffic like a maniac. Cheech, nervous as hell, started singing to cope, and the concept for Basketball Jones was born. The track hit No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, outcharting the original Love Jones, a rare feat for a spoof. It also inspired a 1974 animated short by Paul Gruwell, which played before screenings of The Last Detail and popped up in films like Being There and California Split. The cartoon’s surreal visuals, showing Tyrone growing to dunk the moon, even got a nod in a 2011 Simpsons episode where Cheech and Chong guest-starred.

Cheech & Chong, the Grammy-winning comedy duo of Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong, started their journey in the late 1960s in Vancouver, Canada. Chong, a guitarist in a rock band, founded an improvisational troupe called City Works, which Marin later joined. Their musical comedy act evolved into stoner raps that clicked with audiences, cementing their persona as blissed-out hippies. Their love for cannabis and counterculture humor defined their 1970s rise, with albums like their 1971 debut and 1972’s Big Bambu hitting the charts hard. Los Cochinos, featuring Basketball Jones, snagged a Grammy for Best Comedy Recording in 1974. Their films, starting with 1978’s Up in Smoke, built a cult following, making them icons of the era’s drug culture.

Stay connected with Cheech & Chong through their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans can also vibe with the duo at Cheech and Chong’s Bud Farm, their mobile game site, or join the Cheech & Chong Fans Facebook group to share love for their classic sketches and tunes. Keep it groovy, Zoo Freaks!