If we look at the NBA from the 1980s and 1990s as compared to how the league is today, you’ll find some striking differences between the eras. Of course, over the years, the overall skill level of the players have increased.
But we are not talking about that. Back in the day, the league was full of guys who took pride in being tough. As a result, during that era, fights between players were very common.
Speaking of the tough guys from that era, Charles Oakley certainly fits the category well. While Oakley wasn’t that skilled when playing basketball, he had a huge temper. There have been many stories about him losing his cool and doing things that you wouldn’t expect an NBA player to do.
He once trash-talked to none other than Shaquille O’Neal and claimed if Shaq dunked on him, he’d hit him on the head. Now, that’s a scary thing to say to arguably the most dominant player ever.
Another crazy story that he once recalled was gambling with Michael Jordan and Jay-Z and ending up losing $50,000 in a single night. But these stories might fade in comparison to the story that Tracy McGrady shared about Oakley’s temper.
Don’t Hide Oakley’s Drinks If You Want To Stay Out Of Trouble
After spending the prime of his career with the New York Knicks, Oakley became a journeyman for the last few years of his career. It was at that time when he was part of the Toronto Raptors.
During that time, T-Mac was also playing for the franchise. McGrady once shared a story about how Oakley drenched a teammate in alcohol after the teammate hid Oak’s drink.
(Starts at 1:17:20):
“These boys got the big bottles of Jack Daniels. The whole plane ride, they’re drinking like crazy. … We land in Sacramento, and Oak is looking for the last bottle. My man don’t even want to drink no more. So, he hid the bottle under his seat.
Oak walking up and down the bus on the way to the hotel [like] ‘Hey, man. Where the m***********g bottle at? Who got that last bottle?’ And, boy, somebody pointed at buddy. ‘Hey, where the m***********g bottle at? You hiding the bottles?’ Dog, Oak was looking around him, grabbed the bottle. Mind you, the dude is from Sacramento. Clean suit. He going home to see the fam. Big-a** bottle. ‘Oh, you trying to hide the bottle. Oh, you don’t want to drink no more? Alright, m**********r, you’re going to wear this.’ And drenched it on him. The whole bottle, bro.”
T-Mac didn’t reveal the name of the former Raptors player who got a taste of Oakley’s anger, but he must have learned his lesson.
Although the story might seem funny now, it certainly proved that the former NBA player had some anger issues. Oak spent three seasons with the Raptors, so there’s a possibility that there are many other stories about him waiting to be unveiled.
