7/25/2023 0 Comments Charles oakley familyLacking the proper paperwork, he was turned away by border guards when he tried to cross the border in January 1999 to resume play after the lockout. The Knicks traded Oakley along with Sean Marks and cash to the Raptors for Marcus Camby in June 1998. Oakley is lukewarm on Knicks icon Patrick Ewing, isn't a fan of Dennis Rodman, and says the league had a "serious drug problem" in the '80s. "He don't treat people right," Oakley said of Dolan. His relationship with the Knicks remains rocky, which Oakley calls sad. "But this is a different Madison Square Garden from my days, a different Knicks team, and a different owner." "The last place you expect to be treated like a criminal is at Madison Square Garden," writes Oakley, who spent 10 seasons there as a Knick. And in 2017, he was ejected at Madison Square Garden - putting an ugly face on his beef with Dolan. Oakley had a well-publicized feud with Hill, then with the Philadelphia 76ers, over an unpaid debt. And Oakley does not mince words.Ĭhapter 13, for example, is titled "Barkley and His Big Mouth." Oakley has his list of villains with Knicks owner James Dolan, Charles Barkley and Tyrone Hill high among them. "Guys were hungrier back when I played," he adds. "I think that 20 per cent of today's guys would be tough enough to play in our era," he writes in the book. Today's players would have a tougher time in the his era, Oakley contends. "I think it would be easier for me," he said. Oakley is clear about how he would fare in today's game, with its emphasis on three-point shooting and spacing, not to mention its lack of physicality. "Simply put - you did not mess with Oak," Jordan writes. His teammates appreciated Oakley having their back, which explains Michael Jordan providing the foreword to the book. I cleaned up and made sure everything was all right," he writes. Oakley describes his role in the NBA as that of a butler in a mansion. Over 1,282 regular-season games, he averaged 9.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. The 58-year-old Cleveland native has a fondness for the NBA of the 1980s and '90s, so is happy to share his memories.Ī hard man who left a mark, the six-foot-eight 225-pound Oakley finished his career with 13,650 rebounds and 13,967 points in regular-season and playoff action. "I think people want to hear stories like this … I've been watching TV all the time and (wondering) 'How can five guys have the same answer every question?'" Oakley said in an interview. So the retired power forward has plenty to share in his new book "The Last Enforcer."ĭescribed as "outrageous stories from the life and time of one of the NBA's fiercest competitors," the book details Oakley's 19-year career with the Chicago Bulls (twice), New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. ![]() ![]() The longtime NBA forward told us about the experience of writing the book with Isola, the player he feels is carrying his legacy as an “enforcer” in the modern NBA, and quite a bit about food.Charles Oakley made a career out of speaking his mind and backing it up. Oakley also shares details about kicking Dennis Rodman out of a steakhouse in South Beach, an altercation with reality TV court judge Greg Mathis, and visiting Mike Tyson in prison. Written with the help of sportswriter Frank Isola, Oakley walks readers through his relationships with the likes of Michael Jordan (who provided the foreword to this book), LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, James Dolan, Donald Trump, George Floyd, and more. Last month, Oakley released his life memoir, entitled The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories from the Life and Times of One of the NBA’s Fiercest Competitors. ![]() That must make him a pretty good chef considering that Oakley played nineteen professional seasons, even earning an All-Star appearance in 1994 while also collecting multiple All-Defensive honors during his career. When we caught up with longtime NBA big man Charles Oakley, he told us that he is actually better in the kitchen than he is on the basketball court.
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