Charles Oakley is a legendary NBA tough guy. Few players were more feared on and off the court for their physicality than Oakley in the 1990s. So, when it comes to the current NBA rest debate, one would expect him to be among the legion of former players railing against the current state of the league where stars take games off in order to stay fresh.
However, after Dennis Rodman went on a profanity-laced rant about LeBron James being soft and NBA players lacking the toughness they had in the 80s and 90s, Charles Oakley came in on the side of LeBron and the current players with a response to Rodman on Twitter.
Dennis Rodman stop it you wasn't a tough guy. I think LeBron is smart , you don't have to be tough to play basketball Miss wedding dress
— Charles Oakley (@CharlesOakley34) April 6, 2017
Of course, he’s referring to the time Dennis Rodman wore a wedding dress to promote a book in 1996.
Oakley is a Cleveland guy and a friend of LeBron James, so in that regard it’s not surprising to see him defend James from Rodman’s comments. However, he’s one of the few former players that isn’t a current coach to call LeBron (and by proxy others) “smart” for resting during the season.
Former players love to rip the current state of the game for whatever reason — usually because they’re being forgotten and left behind — but Oakley, who has been in the news plenty this season thanks to the Knicks, is here to stand up to his peers for the current players. Oakley received tremendous respect and support from current stars when he was going through his issues with James Dolan and the Knicks, so now he’s returning the favor.
