Charles Oakley, 54, was arrested at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Sunday
Retired New York Knicks star Charles Oakley was arrested for allegedly trying to reduce his wager by removing chips off a table at a Las Vegas casino after the outcome was already known.
Officials from the Nevada Gaming Board told TMZ that the 54-year-old Oakley ‘was suspected of adding to or reducing his wager on a gambling game after the outcome was known.’
The state takes such crimes seriously, which is why Oakley is facing between 1 and 6 years in prison if convicted.
The arrest occurred at the Cosmopolitan on July 8. The Clark County Detention Center confirmed Oakley had been arrested but has since been released.
It is not known what he was playing, but according to TMZ, Oakley tried to take a $100 chip off the table once he realized he was going to lose.
One source told TMZ that the arrest was not a big deal: ‘This is an insignificant matter that will be quickly resolved.’
Former New York Knicks teammates Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley before an NBA game in 2016. The two were seen as one of the dominant post tandems in the game during the 90s
A first-round pick by the Chicago Bulls out of Virginia Union in 1985, Oakley made a name for himself after being traded to the Knicks for center Bill Cartwright in 1988
Oakley was recently cleared of misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a scuffle with Madison Square Garden security guards last year in which he was violently ejected from the stadium during a game.
Security video of the incident supported Oakley’s claim that the ejection was ordered by team owner James Dolan, who claimed the long-time power forward was acting drunk and belligerent towards the team.
Oakley and prosecutors had agreed to a deal last August that the charges would be erased if Oakley stayed out of trouble for six months.
He played for the Knicks from 1988 to 1998. But since then, Oakley has had a rocky relationship with the team.
Oakley previously filed a lawsuit against Dolan alleging that he was the one assaulted.
A first-round pick by the Chicago Bulls out of Virginia Union in 1985, Oakley made a name for himself after being traded to the Knicks for center Bill Cartwright in 1988. Playing alongside Patrick Ewing in New York, Oakley would go on to earn an All-Star selection and an All-Defensive first team nod while establishing himself as one of the NBA’s toughest rebounders.
In 1999 he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Marcus Camby before playing out his remaining NBA days with the Houston Rockets in 2004.
Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley exchanges words with a security guard during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the LA Clippers