The Last Enforcer: Outrageous Stories From the Life and Times of One of the NBA's Fiercest Competitors

by Charles Oakley, Frank Isola (With), Michael Jordan (Foreword by)

Overview

In this “incredible read on some incredible days and nights in the old association” (Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN senior NBA insider) Charles Oakley—one of the toughest and most loyal players in NBA history—tells his unfiltered stories about his basketball journey and his relationships with Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, James Dolan, Donald Trump, George Floyd, and many others.

If you ask a New York Knicks fan about Charles Oakley, you better prepare to hear the love and a favorite story or two. But his individual stats weren’t remarkable, and while he helped power the Knicks to ten consecutive playoffs, he never won a championship. So why does he hold such a special place in the minds, hearts, and memories of NBA players and fans?

Because over the course of nineteen years in the league, Oakley was at the center of more unbelievable encounters than Forrest Gump, and nearly as many fights as Mike Tyson. He was the friend you wish you had, and the enemy you wish you’d never made. If any opposing player was crazy enough to start a fight with him, or God forbid one of his teammates, Oakley would end it.

“I can’t remember every rebound I grabbed but I do have a story—the true story—of just about every punch and slap on my resume,” he says.

In The Last Enforcer, Oakley shares one incredible story after the next—all in his signature “unflinchingly tough, honest, and ultimately endearing” (Harvey Araton, New York Times bestselling author) style—about his life in the paint and beyond, fighting for rebounds and respect. You’ll look back on the era of the 1990s NBA, when tough guys with rugged attitudes, unflinching loyalty, and hard-nosed work ethics were just as important as three-point sharpshooters. You’ll feel like you were on the court, in the room, can’t believe what you just saw, and need to tell everyone you know about it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982175665
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Foreword Michael Jordan ix

1 Knocking Out a Jackass 1

2 Welcome to the League 17

3 Basketball Junkie 29

4 Protecting MJ 39

5 The Bomb Squad 53

6 The Price of Being Late 69

7 Life with Riley 77

8 High-Stakes Basketball 93

9 Reno to Houston 103

10 "They Will Choke" 119

11 Going Hollywood 131

12 New York Time's Up 145

13 Barkley and His Big Mouth 157

14 Five Minutes for Fighting 167

15 The Reason They Called Me Oak Tree 183

16 The Last Waltz 199

17 Two Kings 211

18 The Owner 229

19 Say His Name 247

20 The Blood of a Legend 255

Acknowledgments 266

Index 273

Editorial Reviews

11/22/2021

Former NBA All-Star Oakley debuts with a memorable if dewy-eyed account of his run in what he calls “the golden era of physical play” in the league. 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”; providing his own commentary on the infamous feud between Michael Jordan and the Pistons’ Isiah Thomas (“Thomas was jealous of Michael”); and with an almost laser-focused memory, recounting outrageous moments such as when Dennis Rodman (who he was “never friends” with) walked around a steakhouse he co-owned “eating food off customers’ plates.” Entertaining as it is, it can sometimes feels like a romanticized account of a bygone era full of grievances (“Jonathan Supranowitz is a straight bitch”) that, nearly two decades on, clearly continue to incense him. Still, this remains an entertaining stroll down memory lane. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

12/01/2021

Basketball fans will remember Oakley (b. 1963) as a rough-and-tumble defensive force for nearly 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Oakley's unapologetic, uninhibited autobiography, written with journalist Isola (ESPN, SiriusXM), matches his dominant presence on the court. His career coincided with the NBA's movement into mainstream entertainment, the mid-1980s into the 1990s and beyond. Oakley never holds back in describing his early life and college career, playing for the Chicago Bulls alongside Michael Jordan, his triumphs and disappointments with the New York Knicks, and his relationships with numerous superstars of his era. 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. VERDICT With his uncanny knack for being present at many milestone NBA events throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Oakley has a familiar name and career that'll make this an attractive choice for sports fans and hoops aficionados. Recommended for public library collections with active sports collections.—Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT

Library Journal

2021-11-30
The hard-nosed former professional basketball star shares his bold outlook on life as well as wild tales on and off the court.

Oakley, who plied his trade in the NBA from 1985 to 2004, wants readers to remember three things: He’s loyal, he’s honest, and if you wrong him, he will never forget. Also, he’s good friends with his former teammate Michael Jordan. Still close today, they have always bonded over their no-nonsense attitudes and approaches toward the game. The same cannot be said for Oakley’s relationships with many other players of the era. 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. LeBron James is one of the few exceptions, a genuine star whom Oakley befriended when James was just 17. Whether the author is recounting how he tricked an opposing player into drinking too much the night before a playoff game or bemoaning the lack of physicality in today’s NBA, he walks readers through his career with unvarnished honesty. 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. “As a Black man in the United States I, too, have experienced police brutality and harassment before, but never to this extreme,” he writes. “To watch the video and hear George desperately calling out to his mother for help was horrific.” Throughout, Oakley emphasizes his role as a staunch defender of his teammates and doing what he thinks is right, never passing up the opportunity to vilify those who don’t live up to his code.

Basketball fans will enjoy Oakley’s stories about the game’s biggest stars and his opinions about them.

Kirkus Reviews