The feud between the New York Knicks and former player Charles Oakley doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon, and NBA legend Reggie Miller had something to say about it Thursday.
Following his arrest and ejection from Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Oakley has been outspoken. The Knicks are disputing his claims.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2017
What started the whole incident is very much in dispute. Although one way or the other, team owner James Dolan seems to be prominently involved.
“The team contends Oakley was directing insults toward Dolan, whom he has had a contentious relationship with for much of the last decade. Oakley said that’s untrue, saying he never said a word to Dolan,” Mike Wise of The Undefeated reported. “Oakley said he was minding his own business when he was confronted by Madison Square Garden security, whom he said asked why he was sitting so close to Dolan before demanding that he leave the building.”
A good portion of the incident can be seen here. In it, Oakley clearly takes physical action against a few people around him.
Oakley has subsequently acknowledged (per Wise) that “I shouldn’t have put my hands on anyone.”
What’s undeniable is that this is a truly bizarre incident. Spectators getting ejected from sporting events is not at all uncommon. People get unruly and get into shoving matches, even occasionally throwing punches. It’s not charming by any means, but it does happen.
But it rarely happens with former players. In fact, Reggie Miller of TNT believes that this incident could hurt New York in its pursuit of free agents.
If you're a FA to be, why would you play for an Owner who treats the past greats like this or a President who stabs star player in the back?
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) February 9, 2017
The Knicks don’t need anything else showing how dysfunctional they are. The ongoing saga with Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony has done that, and then some. But this incident is only adding more fuel to the fire.