NBPA chief Roberts slams Knicks over Oakley fracas

National Basketball Players' Association executive director Michele Roberts chimed in on the New York Knicks' "Oak-gate" situation Friday, taking the Knicks to task over the treatment of the playing legend.

"Painful to believe that my last image of Oak at MSG is him dragged out of the arena. Is this how we remember our legends?" Roberts tweeted, finishing with the hashtag "#NoBan".

Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan - who fired the arena's security chief in the wake of the incident - took to New York radio Friday to say that Oakley's removal and arrest during Wednesday's game will "not necessarily" result in a lifetime ban from the arena.

Given Dolan's plethora of management missteps over the years and his often-abrasive approach to critics, near-universal consensus seems to be siding with Oakley after the incident. The 53-year-old former All-Star was charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault and one count of trespassing for shoving security guards. He was subsequently released by the NYPD on a desk appearance ticket.

Roberts took over the NBPA in 2014. A New York City native, she has often talked about growing up a Knicks fan.