Former New York Knicks big man Charles Oakley advised LeBron James not to take his talents to the Big Apple in 2010 due to the former's hatred towards his old team. According to Oakley, who spent 10 seasons of his 19-year NBA career with the Knicks, the organization has treated him with nothing but disrespect, and he made sure to make James aware of that.
"I can't tell him to go to New York," Oakley said , per the New York Post. "New York treated me bad. . . . When I go to the Knicks games, do you know that they have somebody that follows me around to see what I say to the press? . . . I said maybe Chicago or Miami. I think him and [Dwyane] Wade would be great together."
Oakley vs. Dolan
Oak's anger towards the Knicks starts and ends with the owner, James Dolan. Since Charles retired in 2004, he's always wanted to be part of a coaching staff, but Dolan and the Knicks never gave him that opportunity.
To this day, Oakley , who averaged 10.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in New York and helped the team advance to the playoffs every year, is bitter about the organization.
"Everywhere I talk to people, it's like, 'Why aren't you with the Knicks? and I said, 'I tried to.' And they say, 'What, is it Dolan?'" the retired big man added. "I talked to maybe a million people, and a million two say he's a bad guy. . . . I just want him to talk to me. I don't know if he's good or bad."
Related: "The player should see themselves in this, not me" - Michael Jordan wanted the remodeled NBA MVP trophy not to resemble him
A civil war
Aside from not considering Oakley for the Knicks ' coaching staff, Dolan also caused a scene in February 2017 when he tossed the former Knick out of Madison Square Garden.
According to several reports , the 60-year-old was removed from the building because of his disruptive behavior toward Dolan, who was seated near him. As a result, Charles still has to purchase tickets to watch his former team live.
"I wish I could change Charles Oakley," Dolan said about Oakley, per the New York Times.
Since that incident, Chares, currently a head coach in the BIG 3 League, has been outspoken about his criticisms towards Dolan 's Knicks. Whether it's bashing the current team's inability to get over the hump, their lack of defensive intensity back in the day, or the fact that the organization doesn't value him, his feud with the American businessman doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon, especially after Dolan didn't invite Oak to be part of the organization's 70th anniversary in October 2023.
Related: “LeBron got no sugar, Mike got the sugar, I go with LeBron because I was cornflakes” - Charles Oakley weighs in on the GOAT debate
Local New York City, NY
Most Popular
Comments / 0