Charles Oakley sits down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson of the All The Smoke Podcast and discusses specific incidents, his relationship with Michael Jordan, and other moments during his 19-year career in the NBA.
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Charles Oakley was Oakley was a member of the Chicago Bulls, the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets (NBA). As a power forward, he was consistently ranked as one of the NBA’s top rebounders during the late 90s.
Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley are best friends who met while playing for the Chicago Bulls in the 1980s. Since his retirement, the two have frequently been seen together at events, and Oakley is regarded as one of MJ’s most trusted confidants.
Their friendship began when the two bonded on and off the court for the Bulls, as Oakley was drafted a year after MJ. Oakley was frequently regarded as an enforcer and a defender of MJ against cheap shots and hard fouls.
Charles Oakley says Shaq would never dunk over him
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Oakley with the 9th overall pick in the 1985 NBA draught, but his draft rights were traded to the Chicago Bulls. The young Oakley gave an up-and-coming Bulls team led by Michael Jordan another scoring option as well as consistent offensive and defensive performances.
In the recent episode of the All The Smoke podcast, Oakley stars as the guest and speaks about his lengthy career in the NBA. When Matt Barnes asks him to address the nickname given to him, Oakley says his teammates gave him the nickname for his rugged demeanor and no-nonsense attitude. He also jokingly added that not even Shaq could dunk over him as he dunked over everyone.
Oakley earned the nickname ‘Oak Tree’ for his physical presence and ability to roughhouse the opposition. He never backed down from anyone and was a regular source of trouble for All-Star centres. Even Oakley had to admit that O’Neal was a force of nature.
Despite the fact that Shaq never dunked on him, the Oak Tree still gave the four-time champion flowers.
