With the help of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Charles Oakley can now go to Madison Square Garden.
Charles Oakley can now go back to Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks lifted the former Knicks ban from the Garden on Tuesday.Last week, Oakley was banned from the Garden after yelling at Knicks owner James Dolan and an altercation with Garden security. Dolan said the former Knick arrived at the Garden intoxicated and was verbally abusive and said that Oakley has an anger problem and is an alcoholic. Oakley was arrested and charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault after the incident.
On Monday the Knicks owner and former star met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the NBA headquarters in New York. Charlotte Hornets owner and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan participated in the meeting over the phone, according to the Associated Press. Jordan and Oakley were teammates in Chicago before Oakley was traded to the Knicks.
“It is beyond disheartening to see situations involving members of the NBA family like the one that occurred at Madison Square Garden this past week,” Silver said in a statement. “In an effort to find a path forward, New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan, Charles Oakley, and I met today at the league office, along with Michael Jordan, who participated by phone. Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, and their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA. Mr. Dolan expressed his hope that Mr. Oakley would return to MSG as his guest in the near future.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement today regarding the situation involving Charles Oakley and Madison Square Garden pic.twitter.com/T8cmFx6tmV
— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2017
The commissioner also said that he appreciates the efforts of Dolan, Oakley, and Jordan to have this matter resolved. Even though the ban has been lifted Oakley won’t be back at the Garden until the Knicks apologize, according to ESPN.
“It’s not about being at the Garden,” he said. “It’s about the fans. I want them to apologize to the fans. I told the commissioner I want them to apologize to the fans.”
The former Knick said that he loves the fans and they’ve been supportive of him. However, he wants Dolan to apologize to him and the fans.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said that the Oakley situation was a distraction for the team. Now that the ban has been lifted let’s hope the Knicks can focus and apologize to Oakley so that he can return to the Garden soon.
