Former New York Knicks stars have sat courtside throughout the playoffs cheering on their old team, but Charles Oakley was absent.
A highly publicized feud between Oakley and the Knicks peaked in 2017 when Oakley was ejected from a Knicks game and punched a security guard near owner James Dolan’s courtside seats.
This incident is what he said and what he said it was — the team said Oakley continued to yell at Dolan, but Oakley denied it and left the arena immediately after taking his seat for the game for no reason. He said he was asked to leave.
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Former NBA player Charles Oakley sits courtside before the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks game at Quicken Loans Arena on February 15, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Now, Oakley hasn’t returned to the Garden since then, and he continues to boycott even though the Knicks are having their best season since Oakley’s playing days.
Oakley was arrested on suspicion of assault, but was ultimately acquitted, but legal battles between the two continue.
Despite this, Oakley said he received a call from Dolan’s attorney and was invited to a recent game. But that’s a hard no.
“They have to apologize,” he told The Associated Press. “We’re going to go from there. Is (Dolan) human enough to say mistakes happen? And he did.”
Oakley filed an amended lawsuit against Dolan alleging assault and battery just last month. Thursday’s order assigned further action to Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron.
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Former NBA star Charles Oakley attends the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena on December 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by: Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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“Be honest,” Oakley said. “Be transparent about what you made someone do and how you changed their life. This definitely changed my life. My daughter Googled me , they showed me dragging me out of the garden, which is terrible. It’s hell for a child to see.”
MSG denied all allegations.
“There’s no such thing as an agreement. There’s no such thing as ‘Let’s get rid of this,'” Oakley said. “They haven’t been transparent about what happened.”
Oakley said he “would love to” go to MSG to watch a Knicks game as long as Dolan makes things right.
“I don’t think it’s a bad time to ask people to come to a game,” Oakley said. “The lawsuit is still ongoing. You’re not trying to settle the lawsuit. The lawsuit is still pending. Let the lawsuit be your business and the game be the game. You know what I’m saying? You’re not doing anything special, but if you were trying to do something special, you wouldn’t have done this. ”
Oakley admitted that he is rooting for the Knicks from home.
Former NBA player Charles Oakley watches the Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks game at Barclays Center on March 12, 2017 in Brooklyn, New York. The Nets defeated the Knicks 120-112. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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“I don’t want to get in their way. They’re playing great,” Oakley said. “I’m going to be rooting for the players to do their best. No one on the floor is mad.”
The Knicks currently lead the series against the Indiana Pacers with a 2-1 lead. He’s aiming to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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