The saga of Charles Oakley’s arrest for allegedly heckling Knicks owner James Dolan on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden continues, and the latest development is that current NBA veterans have taken to social media to call out the Knicks for their handling of the situation.
Chris Paul took to Twitter to slam the Knicks for their statement saying they hope Oakley “gets the help he needs soon,” while LeBron James simply posted a picture of Oakley to Instagram. Dwyane Wade is the latest to rip the Knicks for the Oakley incident, but he did so by noting his thoughts on a broader issue, which is that owners don’t care about what players give to an organization while they’re playing once they’re gone.
“This Could happen to any of us!!! #StayWoke We are not above this treatment!” to end the post seems to be a rallying cry to the rest of the NBA to stand up for Oakley and also a warning that if this could happen to a Knicks legend, that no player is guaranteed to be treated with respect by an organization.
For the Knicks, this is a disaster that comes on the heels of a report that, according to some big agents, players were already wary of going to the Knicks after Phil Jackson’s recent handling of trying to trade Carmelo Anthony by publicly criticizing him. Reggie Miller noted that this would compound that issue on Twitter.
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
