In a sudden and bizarre scene at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, former NBA tough guy Charles Oakley appeared to get into an altercation with a security guard behind the Knicks’ bench during the first quarter. Details are sparse at this point, but ESPN’s Ian Begley is reporting that Oakley was trying to go after Knicks’ owner James Dolan.
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/829501002764124161
A man that looked like Charles Oakley just went after Knicks owner James Dolan.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 9, 2017
Oakley played for the Knicks for several season but has had a fractured relationship with the organization. Oakly was known as a brute and enforcer throughout his NBA career, and as seen in the video, wasn’t about to leave the arena quietly as it took an entire team of security guards to remove him from the stands and get him into the tunnel.
https://twitter.com/sinow/status/829501745176989696
It’s unclear exactly what Oakley might’ve been upset with Dolan about, but Begley continues to report that incident was, indeed, related to the embattled owner.
Charles Oakley referenced owner James Dolan as Phil Jackson was trying to calm him down. "Dolan did this," he said.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 9, 2017
Soon after the incident, the Knicks’ PR team released a statement via Twitter denouncing Oakley’s behavior and saying that he is indeed under arrest with the New York City Policy Department.
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2017
And here’s another view of the altercation from a fan video where Oakley appears to shove a second man in the face.
Soooooo Charles Oakley just got into a fight at he Knicks game. pic.twitter.com/klZBD89VI7
— Ian Schafer (@ischafer) February 9, 2017
Update:
Charles Oakley has been charged with 3 counts of assault for hitting security guards (misdemeanor) and criminal trespassing, the NYPD says.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 9, 2017
