Charles Oakley has disputed James Dolan's implication that the former Knicks star has a drinking problem, telling the New York Post on Saturday that he visits treatment centers to support others, including former NBA player Jayson Williams.
"Dolan might think because I go to volunteer at Rebound Institute treatment centers with Jayson that I'm a client,'' Oakley told The Post. "I'm just supporting the amazing work Jayson is doing. I'm not an alcoholic, but Jayson is.''
Since Oakley's arrest Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, Dolan has hinted to multiple media outlets that the beloved former Knicks player has a problem with alcohol.
"He has a problem with anger. He's both physically and verbally abusive," Dolan said Friday during an interview on The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York 98.7 FM. "He may have a problem with alcohol. We don't know. But those behaviors of being physically and verbally abusive, those are personality problems."
Dolan, the Knicks owner and executive chairman, also speculated in an interview with the Post that Oakley has an "addiction."
"I'm sure he has problems," Dolan told the Post. "I didn't have the problem he has, but when you're fighting addiction, it's not that much different from anger management or other diseases where you can't control yourself."
Oakley's manager, Akhtar Farzaie, told the Post that Oakley has made multiple trips to treatment centers, including the Rebound Institute, to show support for patients there.
Oakley and Williams, the former Nets star, have been friends since the 1990s. A report by SI.com that was published this past December chronicled Williams' battle with alcoholism and his friendship with Oakley.
Dolan announced Friday that Oakley has been banned from Madison Square Garden indefinitely, saying that he was verbally abusive in front of fans "in a nasty way." Dolan also said MSG staff reported that Oakley appeared to be impaired.
Oakley has said he had "a couple of drinks" before the game -- and not while in the Garden -- but that was it.