5 Ways Knicks Owner James Dolan May Have Contributed to Charles Oakley's Arrest

"This is bulls--": New footage of Charles Oakley's run-in with MSG security https://t.co/pYwHVvjUvH pic.twitter.com/X5tcAIGdUi — New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) February 9, 2017 Charles Oakley Bought Ticket to a Seat Close to Dolan Madison Square Garden security forcibly removed the 53-year-old Oakley as the Knicks played the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday, Feb. 8. New York police arrested and charged him with three counts of assault and trespassing. Oakley was later released but it's not clear what caused the incident, CBS Sports reported. Fans who sat near the star told The New York Times that security, "overreacted" to the NBA icon. After his release, Oakley, who sat near Dolan that night, spoke to the Daily News about what happened and maintained he was not hostile towards the Knicks owner. "I was there for four minutes," Oakley said. "I didn't say anything to him. I swear on my mother. They came over and wanted to know why I was sitting there. I bought the ticket. I said, 'Why do you guys keep staring at me?' Then they asked me to leave. And I said, 'I'm not leaving.'" Charles Oakley, Critical of the Knicks and James Dolan, Punished with Banishment from Organization Retired New York Knicks forward/center Charles Oakley has previously complained about team owner James Dolan, judging the team under his leadership and stating he was forced to buy Knicks tickets that are usually free for players, the New York Post reported. At a 2015 press conference, the basketball legend revealed if he wanted to watch the team play at Madison Square Garden, he had to buy tickets from StubHub, according to the New York Daily News. New York Knicks owner James Dolan has sour relationship with former player Oakley (SportsBlog) Charles Oakley Said Dolan Ignored Him at the All-Star Game While speaking to press in Feb. 2015 to promote athletic clothing line Zipway, Larry Brown Sports reported Oakley, who played during the Knicks' prosperous '90s era, said Dolan ignored him when they were introduced at the NBA All-Star game in 2014. Phil Jackson, who was an assistant in Chicago when Oakley began his career with the Bulls, reportedly tried to intervene in the altercation. (Complex Twitter) James Dolan Refused Charles Oakley’s Request for a Peace Meeting Oakley wanted to get the bottom of his poor relationship with Dolan, so he asked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to arrange a meeting with the Knicks head, according to the New York Daily News. "I asked the commissioner to set up a meeting with , take a step forward," Oakley said. "I want to know what I did to be hated so bad by an owner. The dad , I never heard him say nothing bad about me. I asked players I played with to go talk with . He said he don't want to deal with me." Charles Oakley spent one season with the Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant head coach but could never get a job with the Knicks. (Facebook) Charles Oakley Says He Couldn't Get a Job with the Knicks After Numerous Attempts In 2012, Oakley voiced concern to the New York Daily News that his criticism of the Knicks led him to have issues getting a job with the team. "They say I'm hard on them," Oakley said. "I say, I'm not hard on them, that's just the way the game goes and people have opinions. Ex-players I talk to, they say, 'Management, they like you. But sometimes it's the way you say things, the way you do things.' "I feel I'm not going to let down because somebody else wants to say something else. … shouldn't be mad at me because all I did was come before him and play the hardest and the best I could do. I'm going to be a Knick for life, though, no matter what people say." Retired Knicks center Patrick Ewing similarly had a difficult time getting a job with the team. Oakley thought it was "embarrassing" of the group to offer Ewing a D-League coaching job ahead of the 2012 season, which he turned down. "No matter what a person did to you or whatever over the years, his agent or somebody," Oakley said. "That's kindergarten. This man has been the coach for 10 years and you're going to offer him a kindergarten job. Totally disrespectful. Then you're going to hire a guy, LaSalle Thompson, that had nothing to do with the Knicks."

Charles Oakley, Critical of the Knicks and James Dolan, Punished with Banishment from Organization

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