When the situation at Madison Square Garden involving Charles Oakley truly got out of hand, New York Knicks president Phil Jackson reportedly contacted the only person he knew who would be able to get through to Oakley: Michael Jordan. "Phil and others felt he was completely out of control," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said, per Pro Basketball Talk. "My sources told me he picked up the phone. He called Michael Jordan, because if there’s one person in the world who can get through to Charles Oakley and calm him down, it is Michael Jordan."
By the time Jordan attempted to reach out to Oakley, it was too late. "But Michael Jordan, from what I’m told, was unable to reach Charles Oakley because, by that time, Charles Oakley had been arrested and removed from the Garden and had his cell phone confiscated at the time," Smith said. "So, he couldn’t be reached." In an interview on ESPN Radio earlier today, Oakley attempted to shed some light on the situation, revealing that he has been followed by MSG security guards in previous games, and Knicks owner James Dolan must be informed when he is in the building. Regardless how things went down last night, Oak is still open to resolving his issues with Dolan.
The olive branch extended by Oakley, however, may no longer be extended after the Knicks' latest statement which referred to Oak's account of the incident as "pure fiction."
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