Charles Oakley has taken his feud with Patrick Ewing public again, saying this week that their relationship is beyond repair and calling the former Knicks star a coward. Oakley said the split has deepened over the years, but the latest blast landed now, in the middle of the NBA Finals, when the old Knicks ties have been pulled back into view.
Oakley, who played for the New York Knicks from 1988 to 1998, said he and Ewing were teammates for 10 years and that was why the silence hurt. He said the last straw came when Ewing saw him in Cleveland and did not speak, even though Ewing had been to his mother's house many times. “For Patrick not to be man enough to come and talk to me after having his back for 10 years, he's a coward,” Oakley said.
The dispute matters now because Oakley is barred from Madison Square Garden and cannot attend the Knicks' home games during the Finals because of his feud with James Dolan. With New York's title chase still alive, Oakley has been kept outside the building while one of the franchise's most visible former players turns his anger toward another.
Adam Silver has tried to calm the situation, saying he and Michael Jordan tried to broker peace between Oakley and Dolan, but that the effort failed and the matter is now tied up in litigation. That leaves Oakley and Ewing in a familiar but uglier place: former teammates with a long Knicks history, a broken relationship and no sign that either side is ready to fix it.
The next confirmed moment is Friday night, when the NBA Finals resume at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Oakley may not be in the arena in New York, but his latest comments ensure the feud around him remains part of the Finals backdrop.
