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PHILADELPHIA — In the era before social media took over and brand marketing became the norm, there was a time when team sports still had room for pure, unfiltered moments. One such moment featured Charles Oakley, the Knicks’ tough guy and unofficial mouthpiece. During a playoff series against the Sixers, Oakley turned to a ballboy and said, “Go get that broom.”
The Knicks had just finished sweeping the Sixers in the first round. Their adversary, Charles Barkley, played the villain throughout the best-of-five series, a role that Oakley detested. In a move that captured the essence of their rivalry, Oakley wanted to make a statement.
Gerald Brown, the ballboy, dutifully fetched the court sweeper, setting the stage for an iconic photograph at The Spectrum. Captured in the picture were Oakley, along with Mark Jackson, Sidney Green, Johnny Newman, and Eddie Lee Wilkins, each grasping the broom in a symbolic gesture.
This moment, immortalized on the back page of The Post, was the ultimate insult and a testament to the intensity of their rivalry.