Former New York Knicks stars have been sitting courtside, cheering on their old team during the playoffs, but Charles Oakley has been absent.
Oakley's highly publicized feud with the Knicks peaked in 2017 when Oakley was ejected from a Knicks game and punched a security official near owner James Dolan's courtside seat.
The incident remains a “he said, he said”: The team said Oakley continually yelled at Dolan, but Oakley denied this and instead said he was asked to leave the arena shortly after taking his seat at the game for no reason. .
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Former NBA player Charles Oakley sits courtside before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on February 15, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Well, Oakley hasn't returned to the Garden since, and even with the Knicks having their best season since Oakley's playing days, he's sticking to his boycott.
Oakley was arrested for assault but ultimately acquitted, but there is still an ongoing legal battle between the two.
Despite that, Oakley says Dolan's lawyers called him and invited him to a recent game. But it's a tough no.
“They have to apologize,” he told The Associated Press. “We'll go from there. Can (Dolan) be man enough to say that mistakes happen? And he made one.”
Oakley filed assault and battery claims against Dolan and an amended complaint was filed last month. An order Thursday assigned him to Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron to handle the future.
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Retired NBA star Charles Oakley attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on December 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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“Just be honest,” Oakley said. “Just be transparent about what you put someone through and how you changed their life. This definitely changed my life. My daughter Googled me, they show them taking me out of the Garden, that's bad. It's hell for a kid to see that. “
MSG has denied all claims.
“There's no deal. There's no 'let's make this go away,'” Oakley said. “They're not being transparent about what happened.”
Oakley “would love to go” to MSG to see a Knicks game, as long as Dolan did things right.
“I think it's a bad time to ask me to go to a game,” Oakley said. “The case is still going on. You're not trying to solve a case. The case is still pending. Mind your business with the case and let the game worry about the game, you know what I'm saying? You're not doing anything special “If you were trying to do something special, you wouldn't have done this.”
Oakley admitted that he supports the Knicks, just from home.
Former NBA player Charles Oakley attends a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks at Barclays Center on March 12, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 very well,” Oakley said. “I'm going to encourage the guys to do well. I'm not mad at anyone on the court.”
The Knicks currently lead their series against the Indiana Pacers, two games to one. They are aiming for their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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