Oakley arrested during Knicks-Clippers game | Toronto Star

NEW YORK—The Knicks’ troubles spread from the current roster and front office to one of the franchise’s legends as Charles Oakley was pulled from his seat by five security guards and arrested during Wednesday’s game.Oakley, seated...

Oakley arrested during Knicks-Clippers game | Toronto Star

NEW YORK—The Knicks’ troubles spread from the current roster and front office to one of the franchise’s legends as Charles Oakley was pulled from his seat by five security guards and arrested during Wednesday’s game.

Oakley, seated directly behind Knicks owner James Dolan, with whom he has had an acrimonious relationship for years, was allegedly shouting at Dolan. Garden security rushed to the scene and removed him from his seat during the first quarter against the Clippers. He shoved one of the security members and was pulled out with Dolan standing just a few feet away — as the MSG crowd chanted “Oakley, Oakley, Oakley.”

The confrontation was captured on video by ESPN and fans tweeted video from the stands.

The Knicks issued a statement: “Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner. He has been ejected and is currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. He was a great Knick and we hope he gets some help soon.”

Knicks president Phil Jackson intervened to try to calm the situation but Oakley was heard by a witness screaming, “Dolan did this.”

Oakley, a former Toronto Raptors and a mainstay of the Knicks’ perennial playoff teams for 10 years from 1988 to 1998, was a hard-nosed enforcer on the court. But he has been left out of the nostalgia-tinged celebrations of the team’s 70th anniversary while other players have been brought back into the fold. He has said that because he has been open in his opinions about the team — and Dolan — he was pushed away.

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