The Physics of Basketball is a non-fiction book by John Fontanella first published on November 15, 2006 that explores the scientific side of basketball. It is written from the perspective of a fan of the game and then through the eyes of a physicist.
John Fontanella has been a physics professor at the United States Naval Academy since 1971 and was a college basketball player for Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA. As a senior in 1967, he was a NAIA First Team All-American. He then earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship to Case Western Reserve where he earned his Ph.D. in Physics. He is currently focusing his research on naval applications of dielectrics.