Oakley Is No Longer Barred From the Garden, but He Roots From Afar
Tania Ganguli, Santul Nerkar The New York Times - Lunedì 8 giugno 2026 Pagina 34 It has been nearly 10 years since Charles Oakley, the beloved Knicks enforcer from the 1990s, was forced out of his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden while fans chanted his name, then arrested as he protested. A war of words with the team’s owner, James L. Dolan, followed, Oakley was briefly barred from the arena and he sued. That ban is no longer in place, but the lawsuit continues. And Oakley has not been back to the Garden since then. Now, as the Knicks have made a thrilling run to the N.B.A. finals, he has mostly watched from afar. “It’s a situation that should have been solved a long time ago from the guy who owns the team,” Oakley said, accusing Dolan of “running a plantation.” The team has long employed a slogan, “Once a Knick, always a Knick,” to celebrate its former players. At Madison Square Garden, the alumni sit close to the court where they once competed, feted with boisterous cheers fro...