Commissioner, Jordan mediate in Oakley row

NEW YORK — NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Michael Jordan tried to ease the tension between New York Knicks owner James Dolan and former player Charles Oakley during a conference call on Monday, the league said in a statement. Dolan and Oakley have been estranged for some time but their relationship hit a nadir when Oakley was forcibly removed from a Knicks game after an altercation with security guards and subsequently arrested on Wednesday. As a result, Dolan announced that Oakley, who played the bulk of his 19-year career in New York but had been publicly critical of the Knicks owner, was barred from Madison Square Garden (MSG). “It is beyond disheartening to see situations involving members of the NBA family like the one that occurred at Madison Square Garden this past week,” Silver said in a statement. “In an effort to find a path forward, New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan, Charles Oakley, and I met today at the league office, along with Michael Jordan, who participated by phone. Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, and their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA. “Mr. Dolan expressed his hope that Mr. Oakley would return to MSG as his guest in the near future. I appreciate the efforts of Mr. Dolan, Mr. Oakley and Mr. Jordan to work towards a resolution of this matter.” Charlotte Hornets owner and Hall of Famer Jordan was a teammate of 53-year-old Oakley at Chicago and Washington and the pair are close friends. Meanwhile, New Orleans has long enjoyed a reputation as a welcoming place for the LGBT community. That reputation will be on display when the city hosts the NBA All-Star game next weekend. The game was awarded to New Orleans after the league decided to pull it from Charlotte, North Carolina, after that state passed legislation limiting legal protections for LGBT people.