The New York Knicks held their championship parade on Thursday, and a host of celebrities and former players were in attendance. One big name who wasn’t, though, was Charles Oakley.
Oakley has been at odds with Knicks owner James Dolan for years now, and NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson reported that he watched the parade from the Harlem Tavern instead. The 62-year-old evidently made that decision with Knicks fans in mind.
“Today is about the City of New York and the fans who have stood by this team through every high and low,” Oakley said. “Enjoy this celebration, you’ve earned it. Knicks fans are the most passionate and loyal in all of sports, and this moment belongs to you. Be proud, celebrate together, and show the world what New York is all about. Much love and respect to the greatest fans in the game.”
Those Knicks fans certainly earned it. They had endured years of pain and suffering.
You just wish Oakley were there with them. In an ideal world, he’d have been celebrating with his former teammates Patrick Ewing and John Starks.
It’s just a pity how things have panned out. Of course, it all went wrong back in 2017.
Oakley was somewhat of a regular at Knicks games back then and had shown up at Madison Square Garden for a contest against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 8, 2017. He sat a few rows behind Dolan that night and is said to have made some colorful comments at the team owner.
Dolan then asked for Oakley to be removed, and all hell broke loose after that. The former NBA player resisted as security tried to escort him out and was said to have punched three MSG employees. Oakley would eventually be arrested and charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault, all third degree, and one count of criminal trespass, a third-degree misdemeanor.
Dolan announced a day later that Oakley was banned from MSG for this incident. The ban would be lifted days later, but the former NBA player demanded that Dolan apologize to him and the fans in a press conference. That was never going to happen.
Then, in September, Oakley filed a civil lawsuit against Dolan and MSG, alleging defamation, assault, battery, false imprisonment, and abuse of process. It would be dismissed and reinstated twice. While some portions have since been dismissed, the lawsuit is still active today.
Before the start of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, commissioner Adam Silver said he and Michael Jordan had attempted to broker peace between Oakley and Dolan, but they failed. Silver claimed he tried his best and that there wasn’t anything more he could have done.
Oakley claimed Silver was lying and added that the NBA has blackballed him. Talk about a messy situation.
Oakley spent 19 seasons in the NBA, 10 of which were with the Knicks. He averaged 9.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game during his career.
