Michael Jordan and Adam Silver both failed to convince James Dolan to end Charles Oakley ban from MSG
New York Knicks owner James Dolan refuses to let go of his grudge against Charles Oakley, even as the team returns to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.
Looks like even Michael Jordan couldn’t change his mind.
Ahead of Game 1, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that he and Jordan were trying to broker peace between Dolan and the former Knicks enforcer. Neither of them got anywhere.
FORMER KNICKS STAR CHARLES OAKLEY MUST PAY $642 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN ATTORNEYS’ FEES TO MSG OVER THE ONGOING COURT BATTLE SINCE 2017
Rachel Nichols reported:
“Adam Silver says both he and Michael Jordan tried their best to broker peace between Charles Oakley and James Dolan, but neither succeeded. Oakley appeared in the Knicks’ away games during this playoff run but is banned from The Garden.”
Retired NBA star Charles Oakley attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on December 30, 2022. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The greatest player in NBA history and the league’s commissioner stepped in to help resolve one of basketball’s stupidest rivalries.
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Still, Dolan did not compromise.
The bad blood dates back to February 2017, when Oakley attended a Knicks home game and was seated a few rows behind Dolan’s courtside seat.
Dolan claimed Oakley was verbally abusive. Oakley denied this. Before long, security surrounded the former fan favorite and dragged him out of the arena in handcuffs as stunned fans watched.
James L. Dolan attended the 5th Annual Little Steven’s Cop Ball held at the Mandarin Oriental New York on December 20, 2019 in New York City. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
The ugly scene quickly became one of the most embarrassing moments of Dolan’s tenure as Knicks owner.
Instead of trying to calm the situation, Dolan escalated the situation further. He later claimed that Oakley had an alcohol problem.
Oakley responded with a defamation lawsuit. The legal battle dragged on for years, but one thing never changed: Dolan made sure Oakley was banned from The Garden.
LeBron James and Michael Jordan attend the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Fast forward to this postseason.
As the Knicks make a historic run behind Jalen Brunson, Oakley supports the team from road arenas across the country. He attended games in opposing buildings and cheered on the team he helped define in the 1990s.
He’s welcomed into nearly every NBA arena. And not just at Madison Square Garden.
Dolan owns the building. He can decide who passes through the gates. But refusing to bury the hatchet with Oakley after all these years says much more about Dolan than the former Knicks star.
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Jordan and Silver tried. Dolan said no. Nearly a decade later, the grudge is still going strong.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com Follow on /x: @alejandroaveela
