Instead of doing a victory lap, James Dolan extended a hand.
After a judge dismissed Charles Oakley's lawsuit against the Knicks owner Wednesday, Madison Square Garden released a statement teasing a reconciliation.
"We thank the court for its ruling. This was an incident that no one was happy about," read the statement. "Maybe now there can be peace between us."
Dolan and the Knicks are undergoing a rebrand directed by marketing mogul Steve Stoute, who said last week he hopes to bring Oakley back to MSG. Of course, it'd have to be a two-way arrangement and animosity certainly lingers on Oakley's side after he was dragged out of the Garden three years ago, arrested and essentially called an alcoholic by Dolan.
As recently as last week, Oakley told the Daily News that Dolan's actions were "dead wrong." He noted the billionaire has subsequently ejected fans for saying, "Sell the Team."
"They talking about bringing me back to the Garden and this man is still doing people wrong, what the f--- am I supposed to do," Oakley said.
Oakley filed a defamation and discrimination lawsuit against Dolan in Sept. of 2017, but Manhattan Federal Judge Richard Sullivan tossed it Wednesday while ruling Dolan can dictate who he allows inside MSG.
"Oakley grossly misunderstands the law concerning a landlord's right to remove a trespasser from its property," Sullivan wrote. "The law is clear that the MSG defendants had the right to expel Oakley from the Garden and that his refusal to leave justified their use of reasonable force to remove him."
There is precedent of Dolan settling with a former adversary. Following the incident involving Oakley _ which occurred after the former All-Star shoved surrounding security guards _ the owner invited Latrell Sprewell to attend a Knicks home game. Sprewell then became an employed ambassador for the Knicks. Sprewell hadn't previously been to MSG in 13 years, and his extended absence occurred, not coincidentally, after cursing out Dolan during a game while Sprewell played for the Timberwolves.
The Sprewell reconciliation was about Dolan's desire to demonstrate he had support from players even after banning Oakley. But Dolan's reputation remains in tatters, and now Stoute is steering Dolan toward peace with Oakley.
"I would love to see (Oakley back at MSG). As a New York fan, as a friend of Charles Oakley, as somebody part of the Knicks organization, of course I would love to see that," Stoute said on ESPN. "Charles Oakley is a very big part of New York. He's a fabric of what the New York Knicks have stood for many years. That toughness, that resourcefulness, by any means necessary attitude."
