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Charles Oakley (born December 18 1963 ) Cleveland, Ohio is a 6' 9" former professional Basketball player who played Power Forward and gained fame in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks in the early 1990s. Oakley gained a reputation for being a hard-worker and tenacious rebounder for all of the teams he played for, especially the Knicks, where Charles played the role of partner to Patrick Ewing in the low post. Drafted in 1985 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charles' draft rights were immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls. There, Oakley provided another scoring option and steady offensive and defensive performances to an up-and-coming Bulls squad led by a young Michael Jordan . With the drafting and development of Horace Grant , the Bulls traded Oakley to the New York Knicks for 7'1" center Bill Cartwright . Oakley eventually became a part of the core with which the Knicks built around, which also featured Ewing, John Starks , and Point Guard Mark Jackson . Oakley's hard work and physical play for the Knicks defense won the hearts of many loyal Knicks fans, making him a fan favorite. In 1998, Oakley became one half of two controversial moves the Knicks made to get younger, as he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for 6'11" forward Marcus Camby . The other move saw Starks go to the Golden State Warriors for Latrell Sprewell . On the Raptors, he provided a veteran presence to a young team led by Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady . Oakley later played for the Bulls again, followed by the Washington Wizards and most recently the Houston Rockets . On the Rockets, he was briefly reunited with former Knick teammates Mark Jackson, who was the veteran point guard behind Steve Francis ; Patrick Ewing , who was an assistant coach with the Rockets; and head coach Jeff Van Gundy , former head coach in Charles' days in New York City. DRESS CODE Charles Oakley was a defender of the NBA's recent dress code policy that was implemented before the 2005-2006 to make sure that NBA players maintained a fresh and dapper demeanor on the court. "Allen Iverson has been in the league for 10 years and he's still wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Grow up already," Oakley said. "I'm not trying to sound like some old guy who says this is the way we used to do it. Why not look professional instead of looking like you belong on a street corner?" OAKLEY'S FEUDS Tyrone Hill In 2001, Oakley was one in the middle of one of basketball's fiercest rivalries with Tyrone Hill . This rivalry came to a head in the 2001 NBA basketball playoff series between Oakley's Toronto Raptors and Hill's Philadelphia 76ers. In the 2000 season, Oakley was suspended and fined for throwing a basketball off of Hill's head after a morning shoot-around. Before a pre-season game at the start of the 2000-2001 Season , Oakley slapped Hill and was not allowed to play in the game. In May, 2001, Hill paid Oakley $54,000 for a dice game that allegedly took place two summers prior. "A gentleman pays his debt within a week or two," Oakley said of the payment. Other In the 2001 NBA playoffs, Oakley constantly chided teammate Vince Carter and even exchanged words with Carter's mother. This was rumored to be over Carter letting Oakley and other teammates down during crunch time. Charles Oakley punched Jeff McInnis in the jaw before a game in 2000. Rumor was that this was over a woman. Oakley had a rumored run in with the producer of the 1989 NBA video "Awesome Endings." Apparently Oakley's agent had misrepresented the genre of the film, which was an NBA highlight reel, and not in fact a pornographic film shot at a massage parlor. MARIJUANA COMMENT Oakley once made controversy by saying that 60% of the NBA smoked marijuana . |
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