#Charles Oakley tells Jalen Rose about Dolan’s diss

He may be a native of Cleveland, but New York fans have adopted him like a native son. That’s because he’s all passion, fierce competition and sometimes fisticuffs.

In this “Renaissance Man” episode, Charles Oakley dove right into his memories with Michael Jordan, his hardwood fighting policy and what happened between him and Knicks owner Jim Dolan that resulted in him getting escorted out of Madison Square Garden in 2017.

First, Oak reminded us that he played for Dolan’s dad, Charles. The New York legend said their issues kicked off when a reporter asked him a question about the Knicks and he gave an honest, critical assessment of the team.

“I’m a straight-up guy,” Oak told me. “My comments got to him but he shouldn’t have taken it personally.”

In 2014, he was in New Orleans during NBA All-Star weekend at a casino with LeBron James, when someone mentioned Dolan was there.

“I said, ‘I never met him.’ [LeBron] said, ‘OK, let’s go to the back.’ So I walk in the back,” Oak said. He then extended his hand to introduce himself. “He don’t even turn around and take my hand. I said this is some BS. He is a real big control guy. If you don’t dance to his music, he’s going to put you out of the party.”

As a former teammate of Oakley’s, I can vouch for the fact that you want this man at your party. He is warm, loyal and fierce. And yes, he’s unfiltered. That’s why his new book, “The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories From the Life and Times of One of the NBA’s Fiercest Competitors,” is a must read for fans, because he doesn’t hold back. It’s just not in his nature. In our conversation, he detailed his hard childhood in Cleveland, how he chose basketball over football, and then he made me jealous over his HBCU experience at Virginia Union.

Oak obviously had a storied career in the NBA, especially in the Big Apple, where he became a fan favorite. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any regrets from his time here.

“Being in New York for 10 years … the ’90s, everybody was about New York in the ’90s. It was incredible. I had so much fun. One of the things I hate … we didn’t win a championship. We didn’t give people what they really want.”

He also has some advice for Knick Julius Randle who gave the MSG crowd the thumbs down back in early January, causing a massive stir.

“That’s the wrong type of city to [do that in]. Especially in a game that someone paid money to see you play and you give the thumbs down. Unless you [are talking] to one person … I think it was in the heat of battle,” he said. “These guys is young. They don’t understand these cities. I just wish he would’ve never done that because some cities, like New York, I don’t think they’ll never forgive him because he’s not playing well this year.”

His simple but very wise advice to Randle and really all ballplayers: You can’t control the crowd. You have to control the hardwood.

As for his famous label of “enforcer,” Oakley more than earned it. Among his memorable scrapes was an altercation with my hometown Detroit Pistons. But he said he never used his fists gratuitously. His motto: “Never try to be a bully … when I came into the league, we had to protect ourselves.”

Speaking of protection, I hope he wore a seatbelt when he drove with his onetime teammate Michael Jordan, whom he said took him under his wing. He said MJ once took him to the airport and got pulled over on the way.

“We were doing 90 and he hit it at 120,” he said, noting that the cops were shocked when they saw who was in the car. “You’re Michael Jordan. OK, slow down,” he recalled them saying.

Oak is busy promoting his book but he also has some other non-hoops ventures that showcases a whole other side of him.

He has a cooking show, “Chopping It Up With Oakley” on Fox Soul where his celebrity guests, like Scottie Pippen and T.I., request their favorite meal and he serves it up with a side of storytelling and banter. His dream guest is Queen Latifah. But I’m sure he’ll dazzle anyone. After all, he learned to cook from his mother and aunts. But the surprising reason he worked to hone his kitchen skills?

“I’m a picky eater, so … you better learn and understand food. So that’s what I did,” he said. “Over the years, guys [are] like, ‘Oh, let me order first … because we know you’re going to take you all day to order.’”

So his bio should now read: Charles Oakley, NBA legend, enforcer and picky eater.

Detroit native Jalen Rose is a member of the University of Michigan’s iconoclastic Fab Five, who shook up the college hoops world in the early ’90s. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, before transitioning into a media personality. Rose is currently an analyst for “NBA Countdown” and “Get Up,” and co-host of “Jalen & Jacoby.” He executive produced “The Fab Five” for ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, is the author of the best-selling book, “Got To Give the People What They Want,” a fashion tastemaker, and co-founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, a public charter school in his hometown.