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LeBron James After James Dolan Denied Charles Oakley’s Handshake: “That’s Why I’m Never Going To New York”

On February 8, 2017, Charles Oakley was visiting Madison Square Guarden to watch the New York Knicks play against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The game was nationally broadcasted, and cameras filmed security approaching Knicks legend Charles Oakley early in the game, leading to a fight breaking out. Oakley was then removed from the building, in handcuffs. He said he did not do anything wrong, and that security surrounded him for no reason to spark the altercation, but shouldn’t have put his hands on anyone.

Oakley eventually was cleared of the misdemeanor assault charges and filed a lawsuit against Knicks owner James Dolan, Madison Square Garden and MSG Networks for defamation, assault, false imprisonment and violations to the Americans with Disabilities Act over the infamous incident last season.

But the drama between Oakley and Dolan started long  before this altercation. In his newly released book, The Last Enforcer, Oakley now recalled being introduced to Dolan in New Orleans during the 2014 All-Star weekend.

Oakley, who was hanging out with LeBron and Rich Paul, when the introduction was made. Dolan reportedly wouldn’t even look up at Oakley, while refusing to shake his hand. 

This led to the fact, that Lebron James told Oakley, that this is why he’s never going to New York.

“You would have thought I did something to his wife. Sh*t, Latrell Sprewell, who played five seasons with the Knicks, cursed at Dolan in front of Dolan’s wife when he returned to face the Knicks back in 2003, and they still became friends. I didn’t do anything to this man. What did I ever say that was so bad that he would ignore me like that? I wondered. Man, I wanted to hit him in the head.”

“I walked back to LeBron and said, ‘This motherf***er wouldn’t shake my hand’. All LeBron said was: ‘This is why I’m never going to New York.'”