Former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley was arrested on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden after an altercation in the stands near team owner James Dolan.
The former basketball player was handcuffed and wrestled to the ground by multiple security guards after shoving one of them during the first quarter of the Knicks-Clippers game, which was broadcast live on ESPN.
It’s unknown what prompted the incident but Oakley, who used to be an enforcer for the Knicks back in the ’90s, could be heard blaming Dolan for the skirmish.
“Charles Oakley came to the game tonight and behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner,” the Knicks said in a statement. “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.”
Have watched this video of Charles Oakley going after James Dolan 10x & dont know who looks more stunned, John McEnroe or Kristaps Porzingis pic.twitter.com/Zp40XtNfaI
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 9, 2017
https://twitter.com/SportBlogNYC/status/829514568288329728
Knicks president Phil Jackson rushed down to the stands to try to defuse the situation as fans chanted “Oakley! Oakley!”
The struggling Knicks (22-31) are 15 games out of first place in the East Coast division.
