Charles Oakley is set to dance with a different kind of star this season.
Former New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley, who built a reputation for tangling with NBA bruisers during his playing career, will take his moves to the dance floor in Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars.
Good Morning America announced Oakley was joining the show on Wednesday morning. He will compete against a list of stars that includes Tiger King’s Carole Baskin and rapper Nelly.
The show is set to debut on September 14.
Oakley has fallen out of favor with Knicks fans since he has called out Patrick Ewing’s leadership skills in several recent interviews. The Oak Tree was a long-time teammate of Ewing when the two were elbowing their way through the Eastern Conference in the 1990s, leading the Knicks within one game of an NBA championship in 1994.
The one-time All-Star has also remained in the headlines for his legal dispute with Knicks owner James Dolan stemming from an incident in February 2017 when he was forcibly removed from Madison Square Garden after trying to confront the beleaguered owner.
Oakley played ten seasons in New York, averaging a double double with 10.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. A long-time friend and original teammate of Michael Jordan, Oakley was brought to the Big Apple in a blockbuster deal that sent Bill Cartwright to Chicago in 1988.
He was traded ten years later to Toronto in the deal that brought Marcus Camby to the Knicks. He has most recently made his mark in basketball as the coach of the Killer 3’s in the Big3 basketball league.
Perhaps some friendly TV time will help warm Knicks fans back up to the rugged former player. It wasn’t long ago that Oakley couldn’t do anything wrong in the eyes of the blue and orange faithful. He represented a brand of basketball that was iconic to New York and symbolized the pre-Dolan years of success.