Charles Oakley hints New York Knicks could vault into NBA Finals with Karl-Anthony Towns and coach Mike Brown

With the 2025-26 NBA season in full swing, New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley recently made a massive claim about the franchise. According to a recent clip posted by a reputed media outlet TMZ, Oakley predicted that New York Knicks can easily pave their way to the NBA finals with Karl-Anthony Towns and coach Mike Brown. The NBA icon has been an indispensable part of New York Knicks for almost a decade in his 19-year-long illustrious basketball career. According to him, the perfect collaboration between Knicks coach Mike Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns can easily bring the 2025-26 NBA Championship title towards the New York Knicks. New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley made a great prediction about the franchise during the ongoing 2025-26 NBA season. According to a clip posted by TMZ, Oakley was spotted offering food at Melba’s of Harlem's annual turkey drive, where he was asked if he strongly believes his former NBA team stands as a capable contender for the championship title run this season with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Brown. During a conversation with TMZ, Charles Oakley said, "They should've won it last year ... yes, they can. They just have to play. I think they got sidetracked last year, a lot of things goin' on."While talking about the performance of New York Knicks last year, he said,"I think last year, they blew a big opportunity. I think they could have won it last year, but it's a new year."Charles Oakley has been one of the most bankable names in the New York Knicks team back in 80s and 90s. He has been quite vocal about the NBA franchises’ performance and never shies away from expressing his views about the Knicks’ players. Charles Oakley, 61, believes Mike Brown can push the New York Knicks further, but only if Jalen Brunson is fully empowered to lead. The former NBA forward adds that the rest of the roster must embrace defined roles for the team to have any legitimate chance at a deep playoff run.New York Knicks’ current coach Mike Brown generated waves when he went on to replace Tom Thibodeau. Reportedly, former coach Thibodeau was shown the exit door after New York Knicks Eastern Conference Finals loss in June. This even led to Mike Brown diverting the spotlight towards himself during ongoing 2025-26 NBA Championship. Also Read:Jodyn Woods and Karl Anthony Towns' relationship timeline: Exploring personal details of the NBA power couple