Charles Oakley Discusses MSG Incident, Player Support, More on Mike and Mike

Two days after getting escorted out of Madison Square Garden and arrested, former New York Knicks great Charles Oakley addressed the incident on ESPN's Mike & Mike on Friday.

According to ESPN.com's Ian Begley, Oakley was charged with three counts of assault for punching security personnel. The 53-year-old former All-Star said he didn't do anything to warrant getting ejected previously.

In a tweet by the Knicks, however, it was alleged that Oakley caused a disturbance:

Oakley's explanation of the event on Mike & Mike was that he was simply trying to protect himself: "It's their opinion. They got a right to say what they want to say, but you send 10 guys for one guy ... you're going to brace yourself and try to protect yourself. That's all that happened with me. ... I don't know what it is. I bought my ticket to go to the Garden. I wasn't looking for that."

There has been an outpouring of support for Oakley since he was tossed from the game, particularly among current and former players.

Per SI.com, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade of the Chicago Bulls, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers and former Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller have all stood behind Oakley publicly.

When asked about what the support meant to him on Mike & Mike, Oakley expressed gratitude: "That meant a lot ... They're not shying away from stuff. I was an ex-NBA player. I did things the right way. These people know me. These people aren't going to bat for me just because I was a ballplayer. They've been around me, they know my character."

Oakley was agitated at the beginning of the interview due to a still image on the screen that he believed made him look bad.

That prompted Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk to suggest he wasn't portraying himself in an ideal light:

The conversation became more focused from that point forward, though, and Oakley was able to further describe his side of the story.

Oakley said the Knicks have yet to reach out to him, and while he isn't sure what it will take to get on good terms with owner James Dolan and the front office, he still considers himself a part of the Knicks family.