James Dolan hopes for man date with Charles Oakley at future New York Knicks game

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- 'His Airness' is on line one.

Michael Jordan phoned into a meeting Monday between New York Knicks owner James Dolan, Charles Oakley, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver, hoping to mediate a franchise feud spewed and skewed.

The result: Dolan appears to have lifted his ban of Oakley, a former Knicks great, from Madison Square Garden.

"It is beyond disheartening to see situations involving members of the NBA family like the one that occurred at Madison Square Garden this past week," Silver said in a release. "In an effort to find a path forward, New York Knicks owner Jim Dolan, Charles Oakley, and I met today at the league office, along with Michael Jordan, who participated by phone."

Oakley, 53, averaged 10.4 points and 10 rebounds in a decade playing for the Knicks. He was an All-Star in 1993.

He was arrested last Wednesday after being ejected from MSG for allegedly causing a scuffle in the stands. According to reports, he was yelling at Dolan and asked to stop. He was asked to leave when he didn't comply. Recordings of the incident show Oakley shoving an MSG security guard. More videos showed Oakley being forced to the ground in an MSG tunnel by a slew of security guards and other suited men.

"Both Mr. Oakley and Mr. Dolan were apologetic about the incident and subsequent comments, and their negative impact on the Knicks organization and the NBA," Silver said. "Mr. Dolan expressed his hope that Mr. Oakley would return to MSG as his guest in the near future."

"I appreciate the efforts of Mr. Dolan, Mr. Oakley and Mr. Jordan to work towards a resolution of this matter."

The Oakley-Dolan feud gathered criticism from some of the league's best players, including: LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley also ripped all parties on TNT's Inside the NBA.

"I've been in the NBA for 30 years," Barkley said. "This is probably the silliest, most B.S. thing I've ever seen in my 30 years in the NBA. This was a waste of time, waste of energy. It's a bad look for the Knicks. It's a bad look for Charles Oakley. And it's a bad look for the NBA. And I cannot believe we are wasting all of our time on this crap."

Rev. Al Sharpton threatened to picket MSG if the ban was not lifted, while Oakley's former teammate and Knicks legend Larry Johnson said he won't go back to MSG until the feud is resolved.

The Knicks' next home game comes after the NBA All-Star break when it hosts the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at MSG.