Latrell Sprewell Sits with James Dolan at Spurs vs. Knicks

New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley's banishment from Madison Square Garden dominated recent headlines, but former player Latrell Sprewell's return to the arena Sunday turned heads.  

According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, Sprewell sat next to Knicks owner James Dolan during Sunday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs a mere four days after Oakley was removed from the premises and subsequently arrested.

Sprewell's return is notable because he and Dolan had "long been at odds," Begley wrote. "Sprewell…screamed obscenities at Dolan in his first game back at the arena in 2003, following a trade from the Knicks to the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading to their icy relationship."

He didn't seem icy on the scoreboard Sunday, as the Knicks shared:

After the game, the Knicks shared a photo of Sprewell taking part in the team's postgame celebration following their victory over the Spurs:

Many thought it was no accident Dolan was sitting next to a former player with whom he had a questionable relationship so soon after Oakley's removal. Bleacher Report's Howard Beck said: "Hard to view this as anything other than a desperate and transparent PR ploy."

Begley added that Dolan banned Oakley from Madison Square Garden indefinitely, and the response to how the Knicks organization has dealt with the matter has been "largely negative" even though Oakley was charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault and one misdemeanor count of trespassing.

Fans even chanted "We want Oakley" and "Free Charles Oakley" at MSG on Friday.

Sprewell called the Oakley incident "unfortunate" during the ABC broadcast (h/t Begley) and offered more on his own return:

"I can't tell you why I haven't been back here, but I'll tell you when I left, I was not happy," Sprewell said. "New York is like a second home for me. I love the fans here. The fans have embraced me. There's no place like the Garden to play in. I mean, who wouldn't want to play in the Garden?"

Sprewell played for the Knicks from 1998 to 2003 and averaged more than 16 points per game all five seasons. His team lost the 1999 NBA Finals to the Spurs, but the mere fact New York made it that far was incredible considering it was the No. 8 seed in the East.

This season's version is facing an uphill battle just to reach the No. 8 seed. It entered Sunday's contest on a four-game losing streak and 3.5 games out of that final playoff spot.

The Oakley situation is one of many distractions that include team president Phil Jackson tweeting his apparent approval of an article critical of Carmelo Anthony, New York's efforts to trade Anthony and Derrick Rose missing a game when his team was temporarily unaware why he was absent, per The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Sprewell's presence during Sunday's game is a reminder of more successful times for the Knicks. It could also offer hope for a positive end to the Oakley-Dolan saga considering Sprewell himself wasn't the biggest fan of the owner not long ago.