A 6' 7" and 210 lb (95 kg) shooting guard/small forward, Newman starred at the University of Richmond, before going on to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In his 16 seasons (1986–2002) in the NBA, he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks.

In the 1984 Tournament, Newman and the underdog, 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders upset the 5th-seeded Auburn Tigers, led by future Basketball Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley, in the first round.

Along with teammates Mark Jackson and Patrick Ewing, Newman lead the Knicks into the playoffs and averaged 19.0 ppg (including 34 points in game 3) in an opening round loss to the Boston Celtics.

[3] Played in the 1997 film Shadow Conspiracy with Charlie Sheen, Linda Hamilton, Donald Sutherland and Gore Vidal.