Charles Oakley forcibly removed from MSG, charged with assault
Madison Square Garden is in Manhattan, but the recent turmoil at 33rd Street and 8th Avenue is evocative of the Bronx Zoo.
Former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley created some drama Wednesday night, being forcibly removed from MSG during New York's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Charles Oakley shoves Madison Square Garden security and is escorted out of the building in strange scene pic.twitter.com/lTphvnSzFV
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 9, 2017
It's not known what sparked Oakley's outrage, but he shouted "Dolan did this" at Knicks president Phil Jackson, ESPN's Ian Begley reported. "Dolan," of course, is MSG chairman James Dolan. It appeared to take several security personnel to remove the 6-foot-9 Oakley from the arena floor. He was then spotted on the ground by an exit with police officers over him.
SBNY Exclusive: Charles Oakley on the ground surrounded by police and Garden security pic.twitter.com/cemhHF4Lu0
— SportsBlogNewYork (@SportBlogNYC) February 9, 2017
The Knicks organization - which runs a very tight media relations operation compared to other NBA teams - quickly tweeted that Oakley had been arrested by the NYPD:
— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) February 9, 2017
Oakley was charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal trespassing, the NYPD said.
The 53-year-old Oakley was a fan favorite for the Knicks from 1988-98, playing in one All-Star Game. He's been critical of Dolan in the past and has not been officially involved in the team's 70th anniversary celebrations this year.