• Charles Oakley
• #33
• Forward

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On June 25, 1998, after a decade in New York, Oakley was obtained by Toronto along with the rights to Sean Marks and cash for Marcus Camby. He started all 50 games in his first season with the Raptors, providing a veteran presence for a young team striving to become a playoff contender. After helping Toronto get one shot away from the Eastern Conference Finals, Oakley was sent back to the first NBA team he suited up for in a trade with the Bulls on July 19, 2001. After one season in Chicago, Oakley reunited with former Chicago Bull teammate Michael Jordan by signing as a free agent with the Washington Wizards on October 12, 2002.

2002-03:
Averaged 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game…led the Wizards in rebounding twice, assists twice and steals three times…scored four points and had six rebounds at Indiana (2/25)…tied a season-high with six points and had a season-high two steals at New Orleans (2/19)…made his only start of the season at New Orleans (1/22)…tied a season-high with six points and added six rebounds at New York (1/11)…scored four points and had six rebounds and four assists vs. Indiana (1/4)…had eight rebounds and three assists vs. Philadelphia (11/30)…grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in a season-high 27 minutes at Memphis (11/23).

2001-02:
Averaged 3.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 57 games with Chicago…Started 36 games…Recorded season-highs in points (13) and rebounds (10) at Washington (1/4)…Recorded 10 or more rebounds on six occasions…Missed 22 games due to injury.

2000-01:
Appeared in 78 games, making 77 starts for the Toronto Raptors. ... Averaged 9.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, a career-high 3.4 assists and 35.5 minutes. ... Recorded a triple-double on November 11 versus the Bulls, scoring 10 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3-pt. FG, 0-2 FT) to accompany 11 rebounds and a season-high 12 assists. ... Produced 26 double-doubles. ... Led the Raptors in rebounding 39 times, including 38 games of 10+ caroms. ... Finished 14th in the NBA in rebounds per game and 10th in total defensive rebounds (599). ... Blocked a career-high 6 shots on January 7 versus Seattle. ... Hauled in a season-high 18 rebounds on December 17 versus the L.A. Lakers. ... Scored a season-high 23 points (6-17 FG, 1-1 3-pt. FG, 10-10 FT) to accompany 13 rebounds on January 23 versus Orlando. ... Started 12 games, averaging 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and shooting .824 from the free throw line for the Raptors in NBA Playoffs 2001.

1999-2000:
Posted season-highs with 20 points and 16 rebounds in a 101-89 win over Sacramento on 1/6 ... Tallied 15 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in a 105-97 win over Indiana on 12/14 ... Totaled 8 points and 11 rebounds in a 98-92 win over San Antonio on 12/5.

1998-99:
Dished his 2,500th career assist, totaling 6 points (3-5 FG), 9 rebounds and 4 assists, in a 90-72 victory over the Orlando Magic on 4/19 ... Played in his 1,000th career game, recording 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, in a 97-82 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on 4/4 ... Registered 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 FT) and 9 rebounds in a 102-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 2/26 ... Posted team-highs of 18 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 FT) and 8 rebounds, and added 3 assists, against the Washington Wizards on 2/6.

1997-98:
Traded by the Knicks along with the draft rights to No. 44 Sean Marks and cash to the Toronto Raptors for center Marcus Camby on 6/25 ... Named to the 1997-98 NBA All-Defensive Second Team ... Posted 14 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and 3 assists in an 83-80 victory over the Miami Heat on 4/8 ... Totaled 17 points and team-highs of 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in an 81-70 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 4/2 ... Grabbed his 10,000th career rebound, recording 10 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, in a 97-89 win over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 3/27 ... Registered 12 points, a game-high 19 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists against the Utah Jazz on 3/22 ... Posted team-highs of 18 points (8-12 FG), 12 rebounds and 3 steals and added 4 assists against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 3/14 ... Grabbed a season-high 22 rebounds and added 8 points against the Charlotte Hornets on 3/11 ... Totaled 10 points, a team-high 14 rebounds and 4 assists against the Chicago Bulls on 3/8 ... Recorded 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in a 94-91 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 3/3 ... Registered 12 points, 15 rebounds and a season-high 8 assists in a 99-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets on 2/10 ... Competed in the Fleer ShootAround during the 1998 NBA All-Star Weekend in New York ... Posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists against the Miami Heat on 1/28 ... Totaled team-highs of 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals and added 4 assists in a 99-92 win over the Detroit Pistons on 1/24 ... Recorded 13 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in a 98-82 victory over the Boston Celtics on 1/19 ... Scored 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-2 FT) and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls on 1/9 ... Grabbed 15 rebounds, adding 6 points and 4 assists, against the Indiana Pacers on 12/17 ... Registered 10 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals against the San Antonio Spurs on 12/2 ... Posted a game-high 19 points (9-14 FG), 9 rebounds and 3 assists in a 104-84 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies on 11/23 ... Totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons on 11/2.

1996-97:
Oakley, like Ewing, was a pillar for the Knicks in 1996-97, a season in which they added three new starters to their lineup. He played and started in 80 games, sitting out the season's first two games following a preseason altercation with Charles Barkley, and averaged 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, the latter ranking 12th in the NBA. He shot .488 from the field and posted a career-high and team-leading 1.39 steals per game. In addition, his 221 assists (2.8 apg) were his most as a Knick. Oakley led the Knicks in rebounding 32 times and had 44 double-figure rebounding games, including 21 boards (11 offensive) in a 99-93 loss to Charlotte on Feb. 2. He scored a season-high 21 points on 8-for-9 from the field, plus 11 rebounds, in a 107-92 win over Philadelphia on Feb. 13, getting all of his points in the second half. Oakley handed out nine assists, his most as a Knick, in a 101-86 win at Orlando on March 30. Oakley averaged 9.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in 10 playoff outings for the Knicks. With several of his teammates, including Patrick Ewing, sidelined by suspension, he had 18 points and 12 rebounds in Game 6 of the playoff series against Miami, but it was not enough as the Heat won 95-90 and went on to win the series in seven games.

1995-96:
The rugged rebounder missed a total of 28 games due to injury and illness, including 19 due to a fractured right thumb suffered in the third quarter of a loss at Charlotte on Feb. 14. He also sat out the final six games of the regular season because of a fracture of the orbit below his right eye, but came back to play in all eight playoff games, wearing a clear plastic facemask for protection. In the postseason he averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 38.5 minutes per game and shot 50 percent from the field. He had four double-figure rebound games in the five-game series against Chicago and averaged 11.0 rpg for the series. During the regular season Oakley played in 53 games, making 51 starts, and averaged 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. He shot .471 from the field on 211-for-448 and a career-high .833 from the foul line, 25th in the NBA, on 175-for-210. That represented a significant improvement over his career free-throw percentage of .739. He sank 32 consecutive free throws during one early season stretch. Oakley led the Knicks in rebounding 18 times and teamed with Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason to give New York a front line that was formidable under the boards and on defense. He had 20 double-doubles, including 19 points and a season-high 19 rebounds (nine offensive) in 49 minutes during a double OT win over San Antonio on Dec. 10.

1994-95:
Oakley began the season for the New York Knicks with a streak of 250 consecutive games under his belt, having not missed a contest since an April 12, 1991, game against the Indiana Pacers. But in December he suffered a dislocated toe and sat out four games. Oakley returned on December 22 to lead the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds. On December 25 he scored a season-best 20 points in a game against the Chicago Bulls, but the toe eventually got the best of him and two days later he underwent surgery. At the time, he was averaging 12.5 points and 11.1 rebounds. Oakley missed 32 games altogether. He rejoined the club in late February, but in 30 games after his return he was not able to match his preinjury output, averaging 8.5 points and 7.4 boards. His overall rebounding average (8.9 rpg) ranked second on the club to that of Patrick Ewing. The Knicks finished the season at 55-27 and in second place in the Atlantic Division. They eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game first-round series, bolstered by 19 points and 11 rebounds from Oakley in Game 1. In the conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, Oakley averaged 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, but New York lost the series in seven games.

1993-94:
Oakley may not have been the best known or the flashiest of players, but he was clearly the heart and soul of the New York Knicks in 1993-94. And as the epitome of New York's hard-nosed brand of basketball, Oakley finally received some long-overdue recognition. At midseason he was named to play in the NBA All-Star Game, the first such honor of his career. The nine-year veteran turned in another solid blue-collar campaign. He broke his own club record for offensive rebounds in a season (349) and finished the year ranked seventh in the NBA with 11.8 boards per game. Oakley also averaged 11.8 points, third on the team behind Patrick Ewing and John Starks. Oakley was the only Knicks player to start and appear in all 82 contests, and his intimidating style of defense helped New York lead the league in points allowed per game with 91.5, the lowest such figure of any NBA team since the 1954-55 season. Oakley carried New York all the way to the 1994 NBA Finals, which the Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games.

1992-93:
Oakley started all 82 games for the fifth time in his career and turned in averages of 6.9 points and 8.6 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game. He spearheaded the league's best defense and was considered by many to be the best defensive power forward in the NBA. The eight-year veteran, who was named team cocaptain along with Patrick Ewing prior to the season, shot better than 50 percent from the field (.508) for the fifth straight year. He had his best month in April, shooting .515 from the floor and averaging 9.1 points and 11.4 rebounds. He rebounded in double figures 16 times in the season's final 26 games, including a season-best 19 boards on April 17 against the Detroit Pistons. The Chicago Bulls once again proved to be the Knicks' nemesis, eliminating New York from the playoffs for the fourth straight season with a six-game series victory in the Eastern Conference Finals. Oakley nevertheless had a strong postseason, contributing 11.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 15 appearances.

1991-92:
Oakley's production tailed off a bit in his seventh NBA season, but he proved a vital cog in Coach Pat Riley's defensive machine. The veteran power forward dipped to 6.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, but his .522 field-goal percentage was the second-best mark of his career. Oakley was one of four Knicks to start all 82 games in 1991-92, joining Patrick Ewing, Xavier McDaniel, and Gerald Wilkins. He led the team in rebounding 22 times, including six straight games in November during which he averaged 14.0 boards. Oakley had one of his best games on January 29 against the Washington Bullets with 13 points and a season-high 18 rebounds. He turned in another strong performance on February 17 against the Heat in Miami, totaling 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 steals. The Knicks nearly eliminated the defending NBA-champion Chicago Bulls from the playoffs, pushing the Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Oakley contributed 5.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 12 postseason contests.

1990-91:
Oakley placed third in the NBA with 12.1 rebounds per game in 1990-91, the highest average for a Knicks player since Bob McAdoo's 12.3 in 1977-78. The six-year veteran led New York in rebounding 49 times during the year and rebounded in double figures in 54 of his 76 appearances. Oakley's best month of the season was December, when he shot .533 from the field and averaged 12.7 points and 13.0 rebounds. He then poured in a season-high 24 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 19, and he grabbed his 5,000th career rebound on February 17 against the Detroit Pistons. The "Chairman of the Boards" capped the regular season in style with 24 rebounds in the April 20 finale against the Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks advanced to the playoffs for the fourth straight year but lost to the Chicago Bulls in a first-round series sweep. Oakley averaged 7.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in three postseason games.

1989-90:
Oakley posted career highs in scoring (14.6 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.524) in his fifth NBA campaign, despite sitting out the season's final 17 games with a broken left hand. He sustained the injury in a March 20 contest against the Orlando Magic, just as he was heading into the homestretch of his finest all-around campaign. In 61 overall appearances, Oakley averaged 11.9 rebounds, a figure that would have ranked him third in the league had he played the minimum of 70 games. He also saw his streak of consecutive games played snapped at 323 when he served a one-game suspension on December 19 for fighting with the Seattle SuperSonics' Xavier McDaniel three days earlier. Oakley returned to active duty for the playoffs and contributed 12.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 10 postseason appearances. The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which they lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games.

1988-89:
In a blockbuster trade on the eve of the 1988 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls sent Oakley and draft choices to the New York Knicks for Bill Cartwright and draft choices. Chicago wanted to make room for second-year forward Horace Grant on its front line, and the Knicks needed a reliable power forward to play alongside Patrick Ewing. In his first season with New York, Oakley shared rebounding duties with Ewing and finished sixth in the NBA with a team-high 10.5 boards per game. He also averaged 12.9 points and shot .510 from the floor, second on the Knicks behind Ewing's .567. Oakley grabbed 343 offensive rebounds for the year, setting a club record he would break in 1993-94. He also established a team single-game mark for offensive boards with 14 against the Boston Celtics on January 3. He notched his season scoring high with 27 points against the Atlanta Hawks on December 27. In Rick Pitino's second and final season as head coach, New York won the Atlantic Division title with a 52-30 record. The Knicks then advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, only to lose to Chicago in six games. Oakley contributed 9.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in nine postseason appearances.

1987-88:
Oakley wound up on the losing end of a fierce battle with the Los Angeles Clippers' Michael Cage for the NBA's rebounding title. While Oakley grabbed a career-high 35 boards in the Bulls' second-to-last game of the season and then 21 in the season finale, Cage snagged 30 rebounds in the Clippers' last game to edge Oakley, 13.03 to 13.00. Because Cage played in only 72 games and Oakley played in all 82 contests, Oakley finished as the league leader in total rebounds (1,066) for the second straight year. He also averaged 12.4 points-second on the Bulls to Michael Jordan's 35.0-and shot .483 from the field. Oakley stormed out of the gate in November, averaging 15.9 points and 15.7 rebounds over the season's first 13 games. He scored a season-high 26 points on November 14 against the Indiana Pacers, then posted a career-high 35 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 22. Jordan won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award while leading the Bulls to a 50-32 record, tying the Atlanta Hawks for second in the Central Division. Chicago then advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the Bulls fell to the Detroit Pistons in five games. Oakley averaged 10.1 points and 12.8 rebounds in the postseason.

1986-87:
A full-time starter for the Bulls at power forward, Oakley ascended to the top of the league's rebounding charts in only his second season. He led the NBA in total rebounds with 1,074, posting the second-highest total in Bulls history behind Tom Boerwinkle's 1,133 in 1970-71. Oakley's 13.1 rebounding average ranked second in the league to Charles Barkley's 14.6. Oakley was the leading member of Michael Jordan's supporting cast in Jordan's third NBA season. He finished second to Jordan on the Bulls in scoring (14.5 ppg), minutes played (36.3 per game), and steals (85), and his 296 assists (3.6 per game) marked a career high. Oakley recorded his first-ever triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 10. He scored a season-high 28 points against the San Antonio Spurs on November 14 and grabbed 21 rebounds on three different occasions. The Bulls took a 40-42 record into the 1987 NBA Playoffs but were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. Oakley made huge contributions in the series, averaging 20.0 points and 15.3 rebounds in three postseason games.

1985-86:
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Oakley with the ninth overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, then promptly traded his rights along with the draft rights to Calvin Duncan to the Chicago Bulls for Ennis Whatley and the draft rights to Keith Lee. Oakley began one of the league's true blue-collar careers by earning a berth on the NBA All-Rookie Team. He started slowly, seeing action off the bench in 40 of the first 45 games and averaging 4.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. But Oakley started 30 of the season's final 37 games at power forward and exploded to average 15.4 points and 12.8 rebounds in 33.9 minutes per game. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Month for March after starting all 14 games and averaging 15.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. For the season, Oakley led the Bulls in both rebounding (8.6 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.519). The bruising rookie had a phenomenal game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 15, with 35 points, 26 rebounds, and 7 assists.

COLLEGE:
A native of Cleveland, Oakley attended Virginia Union, where he averaged 20.3 points and 14.0 rebounds in four seasons. As a senior in 1984-85 he led all Division II players by pulling down 17.3 rebounds per game.