Charles Oakley (created December 18, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Oakley, a former power forward, was an associate of the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. He consistently ranked as among the top rebounders in the NBA.
Oakley supplied another scoring option and steady attacking and defensive performances to an up and coming Bulls squad headed by Michael Jordan. He also assumed the function of the team “policeman” whose responsibility chiefly was to shield youthful Jordan against cheap shots and roughhousing strategies of opposing players. Oakley earned All-Rookie Team honors in 1986. Together with the drafting and development of Horace Grant, the Bulls traded Oakley to the New York Knicks for 7’1″ centre Bill Cartwright. Oakley finally became part of the heart that the Knicks established about, which likewise featured Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and point guard Mark Jackson. During the Knicks’ 1994 season, which contained a record 25 playoff games, Oakley began every regular season and playoff game to get a record 107 beginnings in one season. During his tenure together with the Knicks, Oakley was chiefly called a defensive specialist. For the Raptors, he supplied a veteran presence to a youthful team that comprised Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Oakley, in his final three seasons, played for the Bulls again, followed by the Washington Wizards as well as the Houston Rockets. In all but one of those seasons he played the full complement of 82 matches. Because of his lastingness he really put into the top ten in total rebounds 6 times and led the league in total rebounds twice (1987 and 1988). In 1994, he became an NBA All Star and was selected to the league’s All-Defense 1st team.
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