The New York Knicks are making news. Unfortunately, it’s not for anything related to what they are doing or not doing on the basketball court.
First, it was Knicks legend, Charles Oakley. Now, it is longtime faithful Knicks fan, Spike Lee.
The organization has not had a good team in many many years. It seems that they are beginning to push away their fans, even those who have remained loyal when ownership has not put a winning team on the court.
Oakley has been banned from Madison Square Garden. This stems from an argument with Knicks owner, James Dolan, which led to him being led out of the Garden by several security personnel. He was subsequently arrested by the NYPD. Oakley was charged with three counts of assault as well as criminal trespassing. Allegedly, it all started with Oakley questioning Dolan regarding the team and its lack of success.
Anyone familiar with 90s basketball can relate to seeing director Spike Lee courtside. He had many verbal spats with Chicago Bulls legend, Michael Jordan, and Indianapolis Pacers great, Reggie Miller.
Although a Knicks fan for decades, he also had respect for visiting players. Lee even directed and starred in commercials for Jordan’s sneakers as Mars Blackmon.
At a recent home game, Lee was harassed by Madison Square Garden security upon entering the arena. He was told he isn’t allowed to use the employee entrance but instead use the VIP entrance. According to Lee, he has entered through the same door for over 20 years. He was also seen having what appeared to be a friendly conversation with Dolan prior to the game.
Because of this incident and the team’s woes, Lee has said that he will not attend another home game this season.
For a team that plays in New York’s infamous Madison Square Garden and has been allergic to winning for years, it seems crazy that they would alienate first their team legends and now their greatest supporters on a public stage. If they were in the midst of a playoff run, this would more likely than not be an issue.
This story dominated the news and social media over the last couple of days when the story should have instead been the fact that the lowly Knicks got an unlikely upset win over the Houston Rockets, one of the elite teams in the NBA.
