Charles Oakley Banned From Madison Square Garden: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTNAN, NY — New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley has reportedly been banned from attending Knicks games at Madison Square Garden, team owner James Dolan told sports radio host Michael Kay on his show.

Oakley was arrested Wednesday night after getting into a fight with three Madison Square Garden security guards during the Knicks' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The former power forward played for the Knicks for 10 seasons from 1988-1999 and endeared himself to the garden faithful due to his physical style of play.

Oakley was booked and released at the NYPD's Midtown South precinct and charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of criminal trespassing, an NYPD spokesman told Patch.

Oakley's fight with security was captured on video and quickly posted to social media by fans at Madison Square Garden. One video shows Oakley standing up from his seat to argue with several security guards before the altercation gets physical.

Shortly after Oakley was ejected from the stadium the Knicks released a statement claiming he was acting "in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner." The Knicks then released statements from several Madison Square Garden employees backing up the team's statement and claiming that Oakley was allegedly heckling Knicks owner James Dolan.

Oakley has since refuted those accusations and said that he was simply sitting in his seat — conveniently a few rows away from Dolan — for about four minutes before security told him he had to leave.

The Knicks shot back, doubling down on their first statement and calling Oakley's side of the story "pure fiction."

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Photo by Bryan Horowitz via Flickr/Creative Commons