Charles Oakley Will Attend Knicks vs. Cavaliers in Cleveland

While Charles Oakley has been reluctant to attend a New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden since getting ejected from the arena and arrested Feb. 8, he will be present at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Knicks.

According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, Oakley confirmed via text message he will be in "The Q" on Thursday night.

The former NBA All-Star also sent the following tweet in reference to his appearance:

Oakley—who is a Cleveland native—was initially banned from MSG by Knicks owner James Dolan on Feb. 10. Dolan also suggested that Oakley had a drinking problem.

That came after the Knicks released the following tweet regarding Oakley's actions during his ejection, which featured him physically assaulting multiple people:

Dolan lifted the ban days later, but Oakley said he isn't ready to return to Madison Square Garden and asked for an apology, according to ESPN's Jeff Goodman: "It's not about being at the Garden. It's about the fans. I want them to apologize to the fans. I told the commissioner I want them to apologize to the fans."

Several former and active players publicly supported Oakley, including Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.

Per Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, King James said he called Oakley after the incident to check on him and he followed that up by saying, "Charles Oakley for president."

Oakley never played for the Cavs during his 19-year NBA career, but he was selected by the team with the No. 9 overall pick in the 1985 draft before getting his rights traded to the Chicago Bulls.