The history between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s is legendary, and just when you thought it was over, the pettiness of the past still prevails.
It’s not just Scottie Pippen that is still mad at Michael Jordan. So is Knicks owner James Dolan, who was the lone ‘against’ vote of the NBA Board of Governors opposed to Jordan’s sale of the Charlotte Hornets.
Per various reports, including a tweet from ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Dolan was the lone member with an adverse opinion of Jordan’s sale. Fortunately for Jordan, it didn’t matter as the sale went through for $3 billion, netting Jordan, whose initial investment was $275 million, a considerable profit.
The Revenge Play?
Jordan terrorized Dolan’s Knicks in the late eighties and nineties, winning 24 of 36 playoff games.
Chicago only lost a playoff series to the Knicks once during that era, falling 4-3 in 1994 when Jordan was temporarily retired. That was during Dolan’s daddy’s era.
James Dolan has run the Knicks since 1999. The team is owned by the Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., which Dolan is its CEO.
His father, Charles Dolan, purchased the team in 1994.
James Dolan has caught the ire of his team’s fans and former players for years with his brash style and defiant nature, even with his veteran former players. During a game against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, security escorted Knicks legend Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden. The New York Police Department even arrested Oakley and charged him with three counts of assault and criminal trespassing.
Fans were enraged, but Dolan doubled down, with the Knicks releasing a statement that said Oak “behaved in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner” and “he was a great Knick, and we hope he gets some help soon.”
The Larry David Effect
Oakley was eventually banned from attending games by Dolan, saying Oakley “will never be allowed to enter MSG again, even if he purchases a ticket.”
“I’ll talk about [the ban] in a little bit, but it’s not necessarily a lifetime ban,” he said to the Washington Post. “We need to keep the Garden safe for anybody who goes there.”
James Dolan hasn’t made many friends in the great state of New York for his stance on Oak, and now his lone dissenting vote against Jordan’s mega payday makes him look even worse to many.
However, Dolan is a man comforted by his power and money, and deference is what makes him thrive. He doesn’t play ball, but Dolan tried to “block” the Jumpman. Take that, Mike.
