Athletes are sometimes bigger celebrities than some actors or singers. They are constantly on our screens and we read news about them even more than we read about our favorite singers and actors.
In today’s text, we will talk about a famous former athlete and basketball player Charles Oakley. We will talk about his career, net worth and personal life, so if you are eager to find out more here is a perfect opportunity.
Early Years
Charles Oakley was born on December 18th 1963 in Cleveland in Ohio. He grew up to be a kid who measured 2.03 and weighed more than 110 kilos.
Charles was raised in Cleveland and he spent most of his time doing what every other kid was doing back then. His only difference was his extraordinary talent for basketball.
He went to the John Hay High School and later went to the Virginia Union University.
His talent for basketball earned him a scholarship to study at the University of Virginia Union, the birthplace of another fiery worker and defender such as “Big” Ben Wallace, where he completed his four-year cycle with some outstanding numbers: 20 points and 14 rebounds of average during his four years, signing in his last season 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Career Path
He earned himself a good position in the 1985 Draft, where the team from his hometown, the Cavaliers, chose him with the number 9 and then send him a Bulls where he would become the right hand of a young Michael Jordan. He was chosen in the best Rookies quintet of his year and averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds in the three seasons he spent in Chicago.
In the summer of 1988 the Bulls sent him to the Knicks in exchange for the pivot Bill Cartwright. In the Big Apple will become part of the backbone of the team where the stardom falls on the pivot Pat Ewing and guard John Starks: 10 seasons will be spent there, the bulk of his career. During that decade he will sign some numbers of more than 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal of the ball.
But the most important thing in Oakley was not his numbers, but his fierceness, his dedication in defense, his work: he played hard and that made him a favorite of the crowd. With the 34 on his back formed a terrifying inner pair next to what was number 1 of his draft: Pat Ewing. During their stay the Knicks were one of the most competitive teams in the East: a fixed in the playoffs that came to play the NBA Final in 1994 against the Rockets of Olajuwon, nothing to do with the chufla they have been in these two miles.
Oakley was chosen to play the 1994 All-Star, season in which he also ended up selected in the NBA’s Best Defensive Quintet, obtaining in 1998 another nomination to the second team. After that season, at 34, the Knicks would send him to Toronto in exchange for the “samurai” Camby.
He would remain active until he was 40, playing three years in Toronto and giving himself a curious nostalgic tour in his last three seasons: first a return to the Bulls, then a meeting with Michael Jordan in the Wizards and finally a handful of games in the Rockets that They took him away from the ring a decade earlier to say goodbye to basketball.
Now the old legend of the Knicks has been expelled for life from the pavilion where he enjoyed his greatest afternoons of glory, where he fought with so many rivals. Dolan, the controversial owner of the Knicks, has said that Oakley “has a problem with anger.” Is this true? We cannot forget that in his years as a player he was a very tough guy, and that he had several fights on the court:
His character is responsible for his lights and shadows. What made him an important player was that aggressiveness, that intensity, that hardness. But that character made him lose control and sometimes cross the line of aggression. Was your assault on Dolan okay? No. Is the attitude of the Knicks’ leadership to leave a team legend expelled from the pavilion for life?
No. In recent years the team is a disaster, New York boasts of being “the city of basketball” but they have not won a title for more than 40 years. In the days of Oakley at least they competed, but now they are a hoax, every year a new project and every year a new disappointment. People long for the times when the players left the skin, and the directive now charges against one of the classics of that time.
Charles Barkley was born on February 20, 1963 in Leeds, United States. They nicknamed him “el gordo” because of his overweight, and despite his short stature to fight against the pivots, he became the maximum rebounder in the 1986-1987 season averaging an average of 14.6 rebounds per game.
He was a member of the Dream Team of the United States, with which he participated in the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992. He has been a member of the Hall of Fame since September 2006.
He played in the Philadelphia 76ers, in the Phoenix Suns (where he played most of his career) and also in the Houston Rockets (where he retired with a torn quadriceps tendon in his left knee). He was chosen as one of the 50 best players in the history of the NBA.
In the Suns he managed to reach his best level, obtaining the MVP (most valuable player) and leading his team to the finals in 1992-1993. He also won the MVP in the All Stars Game of 1993. Charles was always characterized by the “claw” and sacrifice, leaving everything in every game.
He integrated numerous times both the first and the second team of the NBA, always being one of the most outstanding. He is one of the few players who got more than 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in his career. He also attended eleven opportunities in the All Star Game, where players are chosen by the vote of the public.
He is famous also because in several opportunities he finished matches to fist punches with different players, we can highlight the last one (and maybe more remembered) when he “battled” with Shaquille O’Neal at the beginning of the 1999-200 season, in a match that played the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Charles has a net worth of around 16$ million. The money comes mostly from the former fame and contracts with famous basketball teams. Charles never decided to take on a different career and try something new in his life, but he managed to invest his money wisely so that he has enough for the future. He is also active on his social media accounts, where he communicates with his fans and followers.
Personal life
In 2011 Charles decided to file a lawsuit against the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas because of a group assault of the security workers at the Casino. Allegedly he was attacked by them and suffered several injuries.
In 2016, he got married to Angela Reed and the couple is living lavishly enjoying their married days.
He became a part of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum as a recognition for his professional basketball career. He played for almost 20 years and this kind of recognition was definitely mandatory.
In 2016 the John Hay High School changed a portion of the Deering Street in his honor.
New York Knicks ex-front man Charles Oakley was forced out of his seat at Madison Square Garden, handcuffed and arrested after an altercation near where team owner James Dolan was sitting.
Oakley, who was sitting behind one of the baskets, pushed security guards before they took him out during the first quarter of Wednesday night’s game, which the Knicks lost 119-115 to the Clippers in Los Angeles. Some fans chanted “Oakley! Oakley!” in support of the popular striker.
Oakley, 53, played as a power forward for the Knicks from 1988 to 1998, helping them reach the NBA Finals, but has had a strained relationship with the club after criticizing Dolan, chairman of the board of directors.
Quick summary
Full name: Charles Oakley
Date of birth: December 16th 1963
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Age: 56
Profession: Former basketball player
Height: 2.03 m
Weight: 102 kg
Net Worth: 16$ million