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Charles Oakley played nineteen seasons in the NBA. He started his professional career in 1985 with the Chicago Bulls, where he became teammate, protector, and close friend to Michael Jordan, and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In 1988, he was traded to the New York Knicks, where he formed a starting lineup with fellow NBA All-Stars Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Mark Jackson. The Knicks made the playoffs in each of the ten seasons Oakley was there. Oakley continued his career with three seasons on the Toronto Raptors, and retired in 2004 after playing additional seasons with Chicago, Washington, and Houston. He has given time and support to more than a hundred charities, and today can often be found cooking for people in impoverished and underprivileged communities through his Charles Oakley Foundation, a nonprofit that organizes fundraisers and community-building events. He splits his time between Atlanta, New York, and Cleveland, where he grew up.
Frank Isola spent twenty-five years covering the NBA and the New York Knicks at the Daily News (New York). His coverage earned him both an APSE sports writing award, as well a Deadline Club award. In 2015 he was voted New York Sportswriter of the Year. He currently is a regular on ESPN programs Around the Horn and Pardon the Interruption. He also serves as the cohost on a morning show for SiriusXM NBA Radio, and as a studio analyst for the Nets in the YES Network.
"No player embodied the swaggering ethos of the '90s Knicks more
than Oakley ... Some athletes melt under Broadway's stage lights;
Oakley thrived. His gritty play befitted the city's 'if I can make
it there' self-image ... A childhood friend calls Oakley
'arrogantly honest, ' a description he embraces, and that captures
the appeal of his new memoir."
--THE NEW YORK TIMES "They don't make 'em like Charles Oakley no
more. When the NBA was full of these tough guys, one guy was
tougher than the rest. In The Last Enforcer, Oak gives us insight
into how it all went down when the game was won and lost in the
paint, before flagrant fouls and three-pointers softened up the
NBA. You had to be there, and he was right in the center of it,
like an oak tree in the middle of a raging flood."
--ICE CUBE, award-winning rapper, actor, and filmmaker "This is the
book we've been waiting on: Oak with Isola, delivering the goods on
the golden age of NBA tough guys and blood feuds. An incredible
read on some incredible days and nights in the old
association."
--ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI, ESPN Senior NBA Insider and New York Times
Best-Selling Author of The Miracle of St. Anthony "Mr. Charles
Oakley is one of my guys from those great New York Knickerbockers
of Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Larry Johnson, and Allan Houston.
After all these years, Oak and I are still close friends. When you
have Charles for a friend you have a loyal friend for life. The
interesting thing is, he has a reputation as The Enforcer, but his
book shows that Charles is funny AF - the humor is on point. On top
of that, he's a gourmet chef. You can never go wrong with laughter
and food."
--SPIKE LEE, Oscar-winning director and writer "In The Last
Enforcer, Charles Oakley, as fierce a competitor as ever stepped
onto the hallowed floor in Madison Square Garden, tells the story
of his career and life as he played: unflinchingly tough, honest,
and ultimately endearing. An old-school warrior serves up a
sizzling tale of life inside the paint in an era when that was
where the game was won or lost. I couldn't put it down."
--HARVEY ARATON, New York Times bestselling author of Driving Mr.
Yogi, and When the Garden Was Eden "Basketball fans will enjoy
Oakley's stories about the game's biggest stars and his opinions
about them. . . The book is packed with Oakley's plainspoken
disdain for former players, most notably Charles Barkley, who gets
a whole chapter: 'Barkley and his Big Mouth.' Among the other
players and coaches on the receiving end of Oakley's unforgiving
eye include Lamar Odom, Dennis Rodman, Lenny Wilkins, and Tyrone
Hill . . . Many of Oakley's entertaining stories go beyond
basketball; the strongest sections involve amusing run-ins with a
wide range of celebrities, from Judge Mathis to Spike Lee. Oakley
also has a serious side, on display when he discusses his
friendship with George Floyd."
--KIRKUS "Oakley's unapologetic, uninhibited autobiography, written
with journalist [Frank] Isola, matches his dominant presence on the
court . . . Of particular interest are his thoughts and experiences
as a Black athlete, including his connection with police brutality
victim George Floyd. Fondly remembered for his loyalty to teammates
and his innovative defensive presence, Oakley's stories bring back
an era when basketball personalities and feuds were over the top
and games were front-page news."
--LIBRARY JOURNAL "An entertaining stroll down memory lane ...
Anchored with a foreword by Michael Jordan--who refers to the
author as his 'bodyguard' during their time as teammates on the
Chicago Bulls--Oakley's book skims over his youth and early love of
the game to instead regale readers with tales from his playing days
in the 1980s and '90s and his decade-long tenure with the Knicks,
replete with cameos by the likes of Donald Trump. He also weighs in
on a considerable amount of gossip, opening the book with the claim
'I did not punch Charles Barkley.'"
--PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
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