On Wednesday, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green called Knicks owner James Dolan’s treatment of Charles Oakley a “slave master mentality.”
"You doing it for me, it's all good," Green said on his "Dray Day" podcast on Uninterrupted. "You doing it against me -- you speaking out against my organization -- it's not good anymore? That's a slave mentality. A slave master mentality. That's ridiculous.
"It was all fine and dandy when he was laying people out, taking fines and all this stuff for your organization. But now, all of a sudden, when he says something that he feels, it's a problem."
Oakley, who spent 10 seasons in New York including a 1994 NBA Finals appearance, was ejected from the Knicks’ Feb. 8 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Knicks PR said the former All-Star was being verbally abusive to security, while Oakley denies their account of the night.
He later got into a physical altercation with Madison Square Garden security and NYPD officers arrested him shortly after. Oakley was later charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of criminal trespass. Shortly after, Dolan indefinitely banned Oakley from entering the Garden as a visitor again.
"That's not something that you say to the world. That's not classy at all," Green said on his podcast. "It's not OK for you to go say to the world as a multibillion-dollar organization. How can you even pin that on someone? Just throw that out there. That's grimy. I think that's wrong."
That ban was lifted in mid-February, when NBA commissioner Adam Silver and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan facilitated a sit-down for Dolan and Oakley to air their grievances.
Green joins a host of NBA players, including LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul, to comment on the Knicks’ handling of a former legend. Surprisingly, no New York players — past or present — have publicly commented.