Charles Oakley has once again addressed his long-standing feud with Madison Square Garden leadership, pointing blame at former teammate Patrick Ewing for his continued absence from the arena.
In an interview with former NBA guard Jim Jackson, Oakley said Ewing has not used his influence to mend the fractured relationship between Oakley and Knicks ownership.
“I hold him more responsible than anybody else,” Oakley said of Ewing, according to nj.com‘s Adam Zagoria.
Oakley, who played alongside Ewing for a decade in New York, said other former teammates have returned to the Garden, but Ewing’s silence remains a sticking point.
“Even though all them guys [are] going back…I thought [Ewing] would step up,” Oakley added.
The retired forward also criticized how the conflict has been handled at the league level, saying the situation has been left unresolved for too long.
“It all started from the Commissioner, the owner and all other owners in the NBA,” Oakley said. “Because he making it bad for all the teams in the league for something like this to be going on for eight years.”
The incident that began the fallout occurred in February 2017, when Oakley was forcibly removed from MSG and arrested during a Knicks game, an episode that drew widespread backlash and led to a civil suit.
Though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Michael Jordan later helped mediate a meeting between Oakley and Knicks owner James Dolan, tensions have remained high.
Despite the conflict, Oakley expressed a desire to return, noting the fans’ support has never wavered.
“I would love to be there,” Oakley said. “I know the fans would love me to be there. I love the fans.”
Oakley’s remarks come as the Knicks extended their playoff run on Thursday with a 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Jalen Brunson led the effort with 32 points, while New York’s defense held Tyrese Haliburton to just eight points.
With the Knicks now trailing the series 3-2, Game 6 shifts to Indiana on Saturday.
Oakley played 10 seasons in New York from 1988 to 1998 and was a key figure during the franchise’s last sustained run of postseason success.
