Charles Barkley isn’t invited to the golf course as far as Charles Oakley is concerned.
According to the Toronto Star, Oakley implies in his new memoir, “The Last Enforcer,” that he still has beef with Barkley — who reportedly claimed recently that the two are on cordial terms.
“He’s not close with Michael [Jordan] no more. I don’t know who he’s really on [good] terms with now,” the former Knicks enforcer wrote about Barkley, a Hall of Fame forward and TNT analyst.
“So I know he wants to come to the cookout and play 18 holes with us. But we’re not inviting him no more. He’s out. You act up, you go stand in the corner with one leg in the air …. That’s Charles, in the corner of the playground by himself. You can see him, because he’s kind of big.”
Oakley also said he “did not punch Barkley” at a late-1990s players’ association meeting, contrary to popular belief.
“I did, however, slap the s–t out of him,” Oakley said.
For Oakley, when it comes to fighting, “Someone starts it. I end it.”
The former forward, who also had stints with the Bulls, Raptors, Wizards and Rockets, was known for his aggressive play.
In an interview published by GQ on Tuesday, Oakley said he has “no issue” when asked if there is still beef with Barkley.
“He probably got an issue with me – ‘Why Oak always gotta talk about me?'” Oakley said. “Same way you get to talk about these young kids now, trying to make a living for themselves.
“You criticize them every night. So, why can’t somebody criticize you? You was an ass when you played. Great talent, but ask anybody he played with, he was an ass to play with. It was never teamwork. It was all about him. So, hey: It is what it is.”