Steve Novak never became an NBA superstar, but one decision from legendary coach Gregg Popovich completely changed the course of his career and helped secure millions for his family.
Speaking on the ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast, Novak revealed the incredible behind-the-scenes story about how Popovich personally helped him land a guaranteed contract with the New York Knicks after being cut by the San Antonio Spurs.
At the time, Novak was fighting for his NBA life on a non-guaranteed training camp deal with San Antonio. He had already bounced around the league and the G League, trying to establish himself as an elite floor spacer before three-point specialists became highly valued around the NBA.
“While I’m in camp with the San Antonio Spurs on a non-guaranteed camp contract, my agent calls me and says, when you get to practice today, Coach Pop is going to call you into the office. He’s going to talk to you. I want you to be respectful. It’s going to be good what’s going to happen, but go in there and make sure you’re grateful. Say thank you. I said, Mark, what kind of weird message is that?”
“So I go into practice. Coach Pop says, come on, talk to you real quick. I go in. He says, we’re going to release you. I said, oh, that’s not good. He said, now hear me out. You’re released. You’re going to get on a plane today and fly to New York City. Coach Mike D’Antoni called and said, look, we want Steve. Coach Pop said, we don’t want to give you up. We want to keep you.”
“So I talked to Coach D’Antoni and told him, if you guarantee him a one-year deal, since he’s on a non-guaranteed contract here, and if you guarantee he’s going to be a big part of what you’re doing, I’ll release him. Then I had to go through waivers. Mark Bartelstein had to call the teams and say, leave him, leave him, leave him. I get to the New York Knicks and later find all this out.”
“While I’m living in Milwaukee, Mike Budenholzer, who was an assistant for the Spurs at the time and later the Milwaukee Bucks coach, says to me at dinner five years ago, do you know how this really happened? I said no. He said Coach Pop released you because he made Coach D’Antoni agree that if he took you, it had to be a one-year deal, and you had to be a big part of the team. The rest was history.”
“I think back to Coach Gregg Popovich and the legend that he is. If it wasn’t for him saying, this is going to be better for you and your family, none of it happens. He said, trust me, we want you. We pulled you out of the G League for a reason. We brought you back to camp for a reason. We got Matt Bonner, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker, we got a squad. We believe in you. This is better for you.”
Novak signed a one-year, $1.4 million guaranteed contract with the Knicks in 2011 after originally being on a non-guaranteed Spurs training camp contract worth only a fraction of that amount. In New York, Novak immediately became one of the best three-point shooters in basketball under D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense.
The forward averaged 8.8 points per game during the 2011-12 season while shooting an absurd 47.2% from three-point range. That season completely revived his NBA value. His elite shooting became a perfect fit alongside stars like Carmelo Anthony and later Jeremy Lin during the famous ‘Linsanity’ run.
Novak’s best statistical season came in 2012-13 with New York when he averaged 6.6 points while shooting 42.5% from three. While those numbers may not look massive, his shooting gravity became critical for one of the best Knicks teams of the last two decades. The Knicks finished 54-28 that season and reached the second round of the playoffs.
New York rewarded Novak with a four-year, $15 million contract extension in 2012 after his breakout season. That deal became life-changing money for a player who was close to falling out of the NBA entirely.
Across an 11-year NBA career with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Milwaukee Bucks, along with the Spurs and the Knicks, Novak averaged 4.7 points while shooting 43.0% from three-point range for his career. More importantly, he earned roughly $23.1 million in total NBA salary.
And according to Novak himself, none of it happens without Gregg Popovich stepping in behind the scenes. The story perfectly captures why Popovich remains one of the most respected figures in basketball history. He was not simply thinking about roster spots or depth charts. He was thinking about a player’s long-term future, financial security, and family.
For Novak, one conversation inside Popovich’s office changed his entire life.
