Charles Oakley has agreed to be a player coach for Ice Cube’s BIG3 three-on-three basketball league, the league announced Friday.
The retired New York Knick, who also served two stints with Bulls, will join Chauncey Billups and Stephen Jackson on the Killer 3s. The eight-team summer league has been collecting an array of former NBA stars, including Allen Iverson, Gary Payton and Clyde Drexler.
"Charles Oakley is an NBA legend, who deserves and has earned respect, and will get just that in our league,” Ice Cube said in a league statement.
“I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this league,” Oakley said in the statement. “Everyone seems to realize we are about to make history together as players. What an exciting opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best ever.”
Oakley has dominated headlines in the last week after a physical confrontation in which he shoved Madison Square Garden security led to him being dragged from his seat in the stands. Oakley and Knicks owner James Dolan publicly squabbled over what events led to the incident before NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Oakley pal Michael Jordan reportedly brokered a truce.
Oakley played for the Bulls from 1985 to 1988 and after stops in New York and Toronto returned to Chicago for the 2001-02 season.
plthompson@chicagotribune.com
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