On December 7, during halftime against the Pistons, the Knicks held a Homecoming ceremony honoring 39 former players spanning the last 60 years of Knicks basketball, including legends like Patrick Ewing, Clyde Frazier, Larry Johnson, and John Starks.

It was a beautiful moment referencing the often-used phrase “Once a Knick, Always a Knick” with a full Mike Breen narrated video montage. The team emphasized the idea that the Knicks are a family — regardless of time spent with the organization, you are woven into the fabric of New York City.

It’s an aspirational message that felt true even for Knicks from the lean years like Eddy Curry and Tim Thomas. And yet, as numerous members of the Knicks from the 90s were mentioned, there was one glaring omission: Charles Oakley. Oakley not being a part of this ceremony felt like a mistake and a reminder that all families have dysfunction. The moment indicated an enduring rift between a franchise legend and the team with wounds that may never heal.

The 90s Knicks have a reputation in NBA history. They were the definition of physical, taking the mantle of most violent team from the Bad Boy Pistons of the 1980s. With players like Oakley, Ewing, John Starks, and Anthony Mason, this team never lacked toughness. No singular member of the team embodied this reputation more than Oakley.

Acquired in a trade that sent Bill Cartwright to the Bulls, Oakley quickly became a legend in New York. He had all the qualities we love: he was gritty, never took a night off, and would get into the face of an opponent without hesitation. He had a never-back-down attitude that became infectious.

People across the country love to hate the perceived arrogance of New York City. In Oakley, we had a player who embodied bullishness to push back and embrace that hatred. He was never a premier scorer, but he was an effective defender and one of the best rebounders in the NBA during his era. In that sense, he was relatable: a player that got to the NBA by playing hard and showing relentless hustle.

If you look through the Knicks record books, Oakley’s name is filled throughout. He is in the top ten in seven different categories.

Oakley played ten seasons in New York before a trade sent him to Toronto for Marcus Camby, another Knicks legend honored at the homecoming. In the years since he left New York and subsequently retired, Oakley has been at odds with James Dolan. This came to a head in 2017 when Oakley was thrown out and banned from the Garden. The discourse since then has created even more distance between a great player and his former team.

Oakley often calls himself “the last enforcer”, which coincidentally is the title of his autobiography. The mentality has never left Oakley: he is still one to embrace altercation and will defend himself as he sees fit. In 2022, he said the following to GQ when asked about being a tough guy:

Oakley is still every bit as combative and strong-willed as he was as a player. In 2017, while being blusterous at the Garden during a Knicks/Clippers game, he was escorted out by security, charged with assault, and banned from MSG for a year. His ban was eventually lifted, but the divide was established that day.

Oakley thinks his ejection had to do with Dolan not liking what he said about the team in the newspapers. To his credit, Dolan has a long-reported reputation for being thin-skinned and resistant to criticism. But perhaps Oakley was also out of line at the moment for his comments.

In the aftermath, Oakley continued to isolate himself from the franchise by casting his former teammate, Patrick Ewing, in the crossfire. Oakley has been very vocal in his disappointment with Ewing for not coming to his defense after the incident. As Ewing’s former enforcer on the court, Oakley was hoping for some reciprocity he never received, and it has clearly angered him.

He has called Ewing high maintenance, a ball hog, and the reason the Knicks never won a championship. When praising Jalen Brunson’s success, Oakley has purposely avoided acknowledgment of Ewing, nominating Brunson as the best Knick since Clyde Frazier. Ewing is on the short list of the best players to ever wear a Knicks jersey, so coming after him is certainly a move that frustrates fans.

We are left with a beloved player going after a player that many loved even more. There is some nuance to being able to separate the two versions of Oakley, but the fact that we must do so is the ultimate disappointment.

Oakley, if nothing else, is a firm believer in his principles. He is the type of person who lives by a code and holds its violations against others for as long as he deems necessary. For the fans, this is the true tragedy of Oakley.

Anyone in their late 30s and older looks back fondly on the 90s Knicks. They never won a title but they are cherished for a playstyle synonymous with New York. They scratched and clawed their way to the top, winning games with many NBA players more known for ambition than natural talent. Oakley is a huge part of that story.

While the scoring was done primarily by Ewing and Starks, Oakley was often described as the heartbeat of that team, and the nucleus of the defense. Growing up in Queens in the 90s, Oakley jerseys were just as popular to see as the main scorers’. That should tell you something about how fans feel about players like Oakley.

We see it in today’s version of the team, where Josh Hart is incredibly revered for the same qualities that made Oakley and Starks so popular. But his distance from the team, the combined immaturity of him and Dolan, and his insistence on slandering Ewing are frustrating.

Thinking back to the halftime Homecoming ceremony, there should have been 40 former Knicks honored at halfcourt. Charles Oakley deserves an ovation from the fans for what he did in his decade wearing orange and blue. A truce between Dolan and Oakley needs to happen, especially as the team has entered a new era of success.

It truly is a shame that in the Knicks family, one of its most important members seems to be permanently alienated from the rest of the group. Hopefully someday, we can have the reunion we all wish for.

CP The Fanchise is joined by Spurs podcaster Noah Magaro-George to preview today’s Christmas matchup.