Charles Oakley, appearing on Stephen A. Smith's ESPN New York radio show Thursday, apologized to fans at the Garden for Wednesday night's incident in which he was escorted out of Madison Square Garden after an altercation with security guards near Knicks owner James Dolan's seat.
"I never want to be a troublemaker in life," he said.
The NYPD said Oakley was arrested on three counts of assault, all third degree. Police gave him a summons for a desk appearance at a later date.
Oakley, 53, said that last year four MSG security guards approached him, and he gets followed by security.
Oakley said that Michael Jordan called on Wednesday night to check on him after the incident. Smith noted that Knicks president Phil Jackson reached out to Jordan to call Oakley.
Oakley, who played for the Knicks from 1988-98, has been critical of Knicks management in recent years. Oakley said he doesn't know why it's so touchy when he goes to the Garden and still would like to sit down and work things out with Dolan. "They need a jump," he said.
He called the end of the Knicks' statement about the incident, in which they said that they "hope he gets some help soon," "another smack in the face."
The Knicks fired back later in the day, issuing a second statement about the incident:
"There are dozens of security staff, employees and NYPD that witnessed Oakley's abusive behavior. It started when he entered the building and continued until he was arrested and left the building. Every single statement we have received is consistent in describing his actions. Everything he said since the incident is pure fiction."
