PeakDash

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Nestled away safely in a corner, away from the flashing lights, radio mics and television cameras, Charles Oakley found refuge in the basement of the Westchester County Center.

Sure, there was action around him, but he paid it no mind. Nothing was more important than the task at hand.

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It’d been months since Oakley had begun being promoted as an attendee of the JP’s Sports & Rock Solid Promotions memorabilia show, but despite that, with his recent legal troubles, some fans wondered whether he’d even show.

Still, about 75 minutes before his scheduled appearance time, fans lined up to meet their idol. And they did so despite the fact that he was seemingly deemed an enemy combatant by their beloved organization.

Once a Knick, always a Knick, though, and when Knicks fans say it, they mean it.

As the line grew a few hundred deep, one floor beneath, casually clad in a black T-shirt and blue jeans, Oakley steadfastly scribbled his signature on each and every one of what seemed to be an endless stack of orange-colored cloth No. 3s. They would eventually find themselves embroidered next to an orange No. 4 to create the number that he made famous.

Sure, Antonio McDyess and Eddy Curry would wear No. 34 after Oakley, but in the grand scheme of things, their contributions to the franchise would wither in shame next to those of the 54-year-old legend.

He focused on his Sharpie the same way he’d focused on loose balls. Meticulous and zealous, Oakley would spend the better part of an hour quietly signing memorabilia.

Therein was the greatest irony.

Here and now, after being forcibly removed from and arrested at Madison Square Garden about 18 months earlier, the great Charles Oakley had become a man without a country. Cast aside by the organization yet still beloved by the fanatics.

During his time with the franchise, Oakley was far from perfect. Anyone who knows him well, though — whether they be former teammates or personal friends — would tell you that he never cheated the game. He earned every paycheck and gave New York the best years of his career. No matter what transpires between now and the end of time, that’s what Knicks fans will remember.

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On this day, he was reminded of that fact.

Surprisingly svelte, Oakley’s chiseled physique did a poor job of hiding under his shirt. Aside from his still-impressive stature, his gold Rolex was the only clue that one who didn’t know him would have had as to who he was, just as his gray hair was the only clue that, still moving nimbly, he was a ripe 54 years old.

With fellow former Knick Larry Johnson sitting to his right, Oakley made his way up the flight of stairs that led to the auditorium. Although hundreds of fans simultaneously shouted random words toward him as he passed, it was easy enough to make out some of what was said.

Between the applause and the chants, Oakley was told he was loved by some and appreciated by others. The scene was almost enough to cause the gentle giant to crack a smile.

He eventually sat down at a rectangular table and took up residence.

To those that showed up to see their hero, Oakley was still the same Knick who joined Mark Jackson, John Starks and Patrick Ewing to lead the franchise’s revival in the early 1990s.

Through it all, he was still a hero.

Although Oakley declined a request from The Athletic to be interviewed, simply observing him for the duration of his 80-minute appearance was all the confirmation one needed to know that, even though he doesn’t feel welcomed at Madison Square Garden, New York will always be home.

As he sneaked around the table dozens of times to pose for photos and made wisecracks with the hundreds that had come to see him, he probably found solace in the fact that, at least in the eyes of those he played to please, his legacy is secure.

A little less than two weeks prior to this mid-August day, it was reported that Oakley had reached a plea agreement to resolve the criminal case that was pending against him for allegedly attempting to defraud The Cosmopolitan casino in Las Vegas.

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And after 18 months of attention, Oakley no longer sought the attention in which he seemed to bask in the immediate aftermath of his public embarrassment at MSG.

“I ain’t talking to no press or no media stations,” he said when asked to speak with The Athletic.

“After that Las Vegas shit, it fucked it up for everybody.”

With no explanation as to whom he was referring, Oakley kept true to his word and remained mum with the press. Not with his fans, though.

As he snacked on popcorn and reminisced with Knicks fans in a dimly lit gymnasium in Westchester County, those closest to Oakley will readily attest to the fact that he remains the same exact person and player he was since he began to take the game seriously. Many years ago, at Cleveland’s John Hay High School, he began pursuing a career that never got its just due.

A few years into his Knicks career, in December 1989, the Knicks were set to host Xavier McDaniel and the Seattle SuperSonics. Having long earned the reputation of an enforcer, on this day, Oakley lived up to his reputation. After strategically getting tangled with McDaniel underneath the basket, Oakley tussled with the Sonics’ leading scorer and slapped him on the nose after Oakley felt McDaniel got a little too physical with Ewing. The two tussled and wildly threw punches in a fight that resulted in suspensions and ejections, especially after the skirmish spilled into the crowd.

The one-game suspension and $7,500 fine was well worth it, though. For Oakley, the message was clear: nobody’s gonna punk us.

The brief encounter was a microcosm of Oakley’s life as a Knick. From tussling with Otis Thorpe in the 1994 NBA Finals to his famous preseason showdown with Charles Barkley in 1996, Oakley’s legacy in New York is and always will be one of a hardworking enforcer whose priorities were helping and protecting his teammates.

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Some pick up the basketball and decide to pursue the game because they enjoy the attention. For others, the incentive is strictly financial.

For a select few, the competition allows them to escape the thoughts of their plights, but for someone like Oakley, the game simply allowed him to channel his strengths and personality in a positive way.

A successful businessman and philanthropist, Oakley has remained committed to his hometown of Cleveland and has been a fixture around the Cavaliers. He’s hosted out-of-town NBA dignitaries and has donated both his money and culinary skills to various community endeavors.

Sadly, though, like Latrell Sprewell, he’d become estranged from the organization he called home for the better part of 10 years. Cast aside and forgotten after being traded for Marcus Camby, it seemed like the 727 games he gave the Knicks — the blood, sweat, tears and attitude — meant nothing.

Like Stephon Marbury, it seemed like Oakley was here one day and simply gone the next.

One fateful February evening, though, that all changed.

A scene that began cheerfully — the homecoming of one of the franchise’s forgotten sons — ended tragically. The legend, scurried away and out of sight. It was as if he’d blown his Achilles.

Since then, Oakley’s made the rounds and voiced his complaints, both via the media and judicial system. And in that process, we’d been reintroduced to one of the cornerstones that the builder refused.

One of the greatest rebounders in the history of basketball and one of the toughest competitors a generation of fans witnessed, on a regular day in August, in a building more reminiscent of a high school gymnasium than Broadway, Oakley had found the home that he’d forgotten.

As he smiled and reminisced with those who adore him, despite being estranged from the Knicks franchise, Oakley is still universally revered.

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One by one, he signed autographs for those who’d come to see him.

And if there was one thing he’d left the Westchester County Center having been assured of, it’s that Knicks fans remember.

Rest assured, Charles Oakley will always have a home in New York City, even if he never again steps foot in Madison Square Garden.

(Top photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

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