Though he had a little trouble getting in the building, director Spike Lee did make it to his courtside seat at Madison Square Garden prior to Monday night’s game between the Knicks and the Rockets.
Lee was the subject of a viral video that showed him having difficulty entering the arena through an entrance that is typically used by Madison Square Garden employees and media members. The 62-year-old superfan had used the entrance in the past and was clearly miffed when he was denied access on Monday.
In the video, Lee can be heard yelling: “No one told me. No one told me. Are you going to treat me like Charles Oakley?’’
Director Spike Lee denied entry to MSG. Rumors are circulating that MSG CEO James Dolan didn’t want the famed director to enter. #SpikeLee #MSG pic.twitter.com/0gZVaHDXBP
— BroTalkLive (@BroTalkLivePod) March 3, 2020
Oakley, a former Knick, was arrested at MSG in 2017 in an ugly incident that left (another) stain on team owner James Dolan’s reputation.
A Knicks spokesman refuted the notion that Lee was thrown out of the building on Monday and said the confusion was simply an issue of Lee using the wrong entrance. Once Lee was in his seat, Dolan even went and met with him at halftime to make sure there were no hard feelings. A Garden official said Lee is no longer angry, The New York Post reports.
However, during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s First Take, Lee certainly seemed agitated with the Knicks and Dolan, saying the New York owner was harassing him.
"I'm being harassed by James Dolan and I don't know why."
—Spike Lee pic.twitter.com/ca28qHYN63
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 3, 2020
Despite the tough time he had getting in, Lee likely left MSG in good spirits as the putrid Knicks (19-42) were somehow able to beat the Rockets (39-21) by a final score of 125-123.
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