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The latest chapter in the Charles Oakley versus New York Knicks owner James Dolan has opened.

In case you forgot already, Oakley was arrested and removed from a Knicks game after allegedly heckling Dolan and assaulting security guards. Dolan then banned Oakley from attending anymore Knicks games. Eventually, with some help from NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Oakley’s close friend Michael Jordan, a resolution was met and Dolan lifted the ban.n an attempt to save some face after having Oakley arrested and removed from Madison Square Garden, and then banning him altogether, Dolan flew in some other former Knicks greats to be honored and sit next to him at a game. Among them were Latrelle Spreewell, Bernard

However, Dolan also tried to save some face and make Oakley look like a bad guy by flying in some other former Knicks greats to be “honored” with video tributes and sit next to him at a game. Among them were Latrelle Spreewell, Bernard King and Larry Johnson.

But then, other Knicks players like Kenny Walker, Gerald Wilkins, John Wallace and Herb Williams, who are not legends were “honored” too.

Fans saw right through the gesture that was meant to show that the Knicks treat their former players with respect and that it was Oakley who has a problem. Oakley, saw through it too and doesn’t plan on going back. Even if he is invited to be “honored” too.

In an interview with The Undefeated, Oakley says it may be years before he attends another game. He also said he’s lost respect for the former Knicks players who went for Dolan’s invite.

Oakley says:

“I’m not happy,” Oakley said. “I told them I’m not happy. They’re tryin’ to sweep this under the rug. I gotta think about this. They tried to tell me, ‘Let’s get some understanding around this.’ I told them in the meeting, ‘My understanding is, it might be three, four, five years before I come to a conclusion how I feel about going back in the Garden. I’m not just going back in the Garden because you want to honor me.’

“Shoulda been done already, right? Why do we always have to wait for somethin’ bad to happen to get honored? They makin’ it look like I want something out of them. No. My thing is, you slandered my name. A Charles Oakley Day isn’t going to fix that.”

“I’m really pissed about how they brought those guys back to sit with him,” Oakley said. “Bernard King is a legend and everything, but he went through an incident where he was wronged in college by the police.”

“And I can’t respect Sprewell. These guys were flown in town to make him look good. I can’t respect those guys no more.”

Oakley seems to have already moved on from the issue. He was named as a player-coach in Ice Cube‘s new BIG3 basketball league. Cube reportedly reached out to Oakley after seeing how he was being treated at Madison Square Garden. He foreshadowed it with this tweet.

“The players and coaches are our central focus at the BIG3,” Ice Cube said in a press release. “Charles Oakley is an NBA legend, who deserves and has earned respect, and will get just that in our league.”

Oakley will be joining Chauncey Billups and Stephen Jackson’s team “The Killer 3s.” BIG3 play starts this summer on June 24.

 

Photo: Twitter