When Knicks legend Charles Oakley was forcibly removed by security and dragged out of a Knicks game in handcuffs eight years ago, it was a bad look for owner James Dolan and the franchise, which had hit rock bottom on and off the court. The Knicks pressed criminal charges against the legend and in return, Oakley filed a lawsuit against Dolan and MSG. Trying to sue a billionaire is a costly task. Dolan is worth around $2 billion, and Oak has a net worth of just $12 million.
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Charles Oakley Must Pay $642K in Legal Fees To Madison Square Garden For Lost Texts
This has dragged out for almost a decade now and recent developments show that Oakley is coming out of this on the losing end financially. The Knicks enforcer has been ordered to pay $642,000 in attorney fees and costs to Madison Square Garden in their ongoing legal battle. On Oct. 31, Oakley, who played for the team from 1988 to 1998, was reportedly hit with sanction for losing five years of text messages that could have served as evidence in his lawsuit over the 2017 ejection. According to reports, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky set the amount lower than Madison Square Garden’s $1.5M request.
“The court concludes that Oakley’s loss of his text messages cannot be credibly explained as involving anything other than bad faith,” U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan said in the July order.
Eddie Curry Says Oakley Bought His First Bentley GT Continental
Oakley’s reputation has taken a hit over the years after receiving plenty of fan support right after the incident. However, he’s still one of the respected OGs of the NBA and former Knicks center Eddie Curry shared a story about Oakley on the “Out of The Mud” podcast.
“Charles Oakley got me my first Bentley bro,” Curry revealed. “I’m not even going to lie to you. Oak’s the realest person I met in life. I remember I was on Rush Street at Gold Coast Bentley and the GT Continental had just come out. It was a silver one right in the window.”
Curry said the car dealer told him he would have to put $70K down because he didn’t have credit. Curry entered the NBA at 20, coming straight out of high school.
“I knew my accountant wasn’t going for that, but it just so happened Oak was on the Gold Coast, and he called me and I came outside and got in the car with him,” Curry recalls.
Curry explained to Oakley that he was trying to get a Bentley but didn’t have the credit and couldn’t get the money for a down payment approved by his accountant.
“He had a bag of money in the back …he said man get it out the bag. I just grabbed 70 racks, went right back in there and got my Bentley. He never asked for it back. Nothing bro. That’s how I got my first Bentley. Oak got me my first Bentley.”
Curry also said that he never paid Oak back and joked that “he probably doesn’t remember,” adding that he hopes Oak doesn’t ask for the money back.
Social media got a kick out of Curry’s story with one fan on X respectfully saying, “Oak was moving like the plug.”
Eddie Curry Made $70,000,000 In NBA Career, Can’t Pay Back $70K
Most fans chastised Curry, who over the course of his 11-season NBA career, reportedly earned roughly $70 million in salary alone, for not repaying Oakley’s kindness to a young baller.
“Didn’t Oak just get hit with a judgement against him regarding the Knicks? Pay him what you owe him.
“You posed to give it back without asking,” said another fan.
“Pay the man back! It’s the right thing to do!,” another netizen told Curry.
“What I gather from this is Oak is a stand up guy and someone else, not so much. No way on earth I’m not trying to repay that favor,” added a third fan on X.
James Dolan Using Billionaire Muscle To Drain Charles Oakley’s Bank Account: Bad Blood
Oakley could probably use that money right now. Oak spent most of his 19-year NBA career with the New York Knicks, made reportedly close to $44M in his career but doesn’t have that now. The power forward out of Virginia Union, started his career with Jordan in Chicago and became a key part of a Knicks era that celebrated them as perennial playoff contenders. He was on the roster that advanced to the NBA Finals in 1994, losing to the Houston Rockets. Oakley was traded to the Raptors a year before owner James Dolan assumed full control of the day-to-day operations of the franchise. As the franchise hit tough times and Dolan became the target of fan and media attacks, Oakley was one of the voices that strongly criticized the direction of the franchise. He often blamed Dolan for meddling in management decisions.
The expression, “pick your battles wisely” is surely repeating in Oakley’s head like your favorite old school jam on a mixtape back in the 90s. Dolan has always been known to rule with an iron fist, but in recent years he’s hired capable basketball people, while also allowing them to do their jobs. With this newfound success, which has seen the Knicks emerge from the abyss and advance to the Eastern Conference finals last season, Dolan’s popularity rating is probably at an all-time high. He’s not as concerned with settling or mending any bridges with Oakley, who hasn’t returned to The Garden ever since that fateful day on February 8th.
Why Did Knicks Legend Charles Oakley Get Physically Thrown Out Of MSG In The Middle Of The LA Clipper Game In 2017?
The simmering feud between the critical Oakley and the prideful Dolan hit an explosive apex when according to his account of that night, Dolan scoped Oakley out in the stands before telling security to remove him from the premises. This blindsided Oakley, who clearly thought that he was entitled to be in MSG as a paying customer. When cameras flashed to the incident all you saw was Oakley aggressively arguing and then tussling with security who yoked him up and removed him from the building in front of thousands of fans. Oakley was also charged with assault and trespassing after refusing to peacefully exit. Dolan claimed that Oakley verbally threatened him prior to the physical alteration with MSG security.
Oakley Had A Chance To Make Peace After Adam Silver & Michael Jordan Mediated
A week later, after the incident hit the social media mill, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recruited Michael Jordan to mediate a sit-down. During that meeting, Oakley and Dolan reportedly settled on a truce. and Dolan lifted the ban he’d levied in the wake of the incident. Clearly, that was not enough for Oakley who was embarrassed by the unprecedented incident. Later that year, he filed a civil lawsuit and that decision has grown into a costly one.
Oakley decided to take Dolan and the Knicks to court in September of 2017 while accusing the franchise of defaming him by falsely accusing him of assault and issuing a statement that implied he had a drinking problem.
In his most recent amended complaint from April 2024, Oakley alleges assault and battery against the stadium and its affiliated entities, which have denied any wrongdoing. Following the ruling, Oakley must either pay the fees or await the outcome of his planned appeal. His attorney, Valdi Licul, a partner at Wigdor representing Oakley, stated that they “disagree that MSG is entitled to any recovery and will promptly seek to appeal.”
