Steve Novak

Steve Novak

No. 16   New York Knicks
Small forward / Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth	June 13, 1984 (1984-06-13)
Place of birth	Libertyville, Illinois
Nationality	American
High school	Brown Deer HS (Brown Deer, Wisconsin)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Marquette (2002–2006)
NBA Draft	2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	2006–present
Career history
2006–2008	Houston Rockets
2007	→Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League)
2008–2010	Los Angeles Clippers
2010–2011	Dallas Mavericks
2011	Reno Bighorns (D-League)
2011	San Antonio Spurs
2011–present	New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
All-Big East First Team (2006)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Steve Novak (born June 13, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is listed as 6'10", 240 lbs. He played college basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at Marquette University. Novak splits time at both small forward and power forward.

High school career

Novak attended Brown Deer High School in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. As a junior, Steve averaged 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.4 blocked shots per game. During his senior season, Novak averaged 20.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. Throughout his high school basketball career, he earned four letters. In 2002 Novak was named the Wisconsin High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

College career

Novak began his college basketball career at Marquette University in 2002–2003. He saw action in all 33 games and averaged 6.7 points per game. He wore jersey number 20. He also shot 50.5% from the three-point line. As a freshman, Novak played in the Final Four, alongside future NBA players Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener.

Novak started 29 of the 32 games in the 2003–2004 season. He averaged 12.1 points per game along with 4.6 rebounds per game. Novak also shot 91.2% from the free throw line.

During the 2004–2005 season, Novak started 29 of the 31 games. He improved his average to 13.3 points per game and also was third on the team with 4.1 rebounds per game.

The 2005–2006 season saw an overall improvement in Novak's game. He led the team in points per game by averaging 17.5. In addition to this he averaged 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 97.4% from the foul line. Novak's top performances included a 41 point, 16 rebound effort in Marquette's 94–79 upset of then #2 UConn in Marquette's inaugural Big East contest, and a game-winning 18-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds left to cap a 27-point effort in a 67–65 victory over Notre Dame.

In March 2006 Novak competed and won the ESPN college three-point shooting contest at Hinkle Field House in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He graduated with a BA in Communication studies from Marquette University where he met his wife, Christina.

Professional career

On June 28, 2006, he was selected by the Houston Rockets in the NBA Draft with the 32nd overall pick (2nd pick in 2nd round). Novak ended his rookie season (2006–07) with averages of 1.5 points and 0.7 rebounds in 5.5 minutes per game. He was not active on the Houston Rockets' playoff roster.

For the 2007–08 season, Novak began playing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a NBA Development League team. On December 16, 2007, the Rockets recalled him from the Development League, where he had spent a month. In 2008 the Rockets traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers for the option to exchange second-round picks in the 2011 NBA Draft.

On February 13th, 2008, Novak scored a game winning 3-pointer vs. the Sacramento Kings to win the game 89–87 with 2.5 seconds left, keeping the Rockets' historic 22-game winning streak alive. It was his only basket of the game.

On March 15, 2009, Novak hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the New Jersey Nets, 107–105.

On September 22, 2010, Novak signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Mavericks. On January 5, 2011, Novak was released by the Dallas Mavericks.

On February 4, 2011, Novak was acquired by the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League, but only three days later he was called-up by the San Antonio Spurs on a 10-day contract. On March 4th, 2011, the Spurs signed Novak for the rest of the season.

He was released and signed with the New York Knicks in December 2011.

Achievements and awards

• 2001–02 – Gatorade Wisconsin High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year
• 2002–03 – Conference USA All-Freshman Team
• 2002–03 – Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year
• 2004 – NIT All-Star Team
• 2005–06 – Big East All Conference First Team Unanimous Selection
• 2005–06 – NCAA 3-Point Shootout Winner
• 2005–06 – Number 20 retired at Brown Deer High School
• Holds Marquette career mark for three-point field goals made (354)
• Holds Marquette record with 68 consecutive free throws made

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Houston	35	1	5.5	.360	.333	1.000	.7	.2	.1	.0	1.5
2007–08	Houston	35	0	7.5	.480	.479	.750	1.0	.2	.1	.1	3.9
2008–09	L.A. Clippers	71	3	16.4	.444	.416	.913	1.8	.6	.3	.1	6.9
2009–10	L.A. Clippers	54	0	6.7	.389	.310	.778	.6	.1	.1	.0	2.1
2010–11	Dallas	7	0	2.6	.500	.750	.000	.7	.0	.0	.0	1.6
2010–11	San Antonio	23	0	8.6	.525	.548	1.000	1.0	.1	.0	.2	4.0
Career		225	4	9.7	.443	.417	.891	1.1	.3	.2	.1	4.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2008	Houston	3	0	7.0	.750	.667	.000	.7	.0	.0	.3	2.7
2011	San Antonio	1	0	6.0	.000	.000	.000	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		4	0	6.8	.750	.667	.000	.8	.0	.0	.3	2.8

External links

• Steve Novak at NBA.com
• Steve Novak at Basketball-Reference.com
• Steve Novak at ESPN.com