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Spike Lee Done Attending Knicks Games This Season After Incident With MSG Security

Spike Lee said he will not attend any more Knicks games this season after an incident with MSG security guards.

Jenna West

Spike Lee Done Attending Knicks Games This Season After Incident With MSG Security
Spike Lee Done Attending Knicks Games This Season After Incident With MSG Security /

Knicks superfan Spike Lee said he will not attend anymore games at Madison Square Garden this season after an incident with security guards before Monday night's game against the Rockets.

Lee went on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday morning to address the issue with security and Knicks owner James Dolan. The film director explained that he entered MSG through an employee entrance he's used for 28 years. After his ticket was scanned and he walked onto an elevator, security asked Lee to exit and re-enter the arena through a different door.

When security later asked Lee to leave MSG, he said he put his hands behind his back and told them, "Arrest me like my brother Charles Oakley."

In February 2017, Oakley, a former Knicks star, was forced out of MSG during a game and subsequently arrested after a scuffle with security guards. Dolan and MSG were sued for defamation, battery, false imprisonment and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among other related charges, that September. Oakley was also banned from MSG for one year following the incident.

Earlier this month, he lost a civil lawsuit against Dolan and MSG.

Lee told ESPN that Dolan asked to speak to him, and he responded, "Mr. Dolan, I don't want to talk about anything." 

The New York Post reports Lee was in his seat by game time, and he spoke with Dolan at halftime about the incident.

Lee said MSG did not inform him about changing its policy on which entrance he should use. Despite his hiatus from games this season, Lee plans to attend contests again in the 2020-21 season.

The Knicks released a statement on Tuesday saying they previously asked Lee to use a VIP entrance rather than an employee entrance.

"The idea that Spike Lee is a victim because we have repeatedly asked him to not use our employee entrance and instead use a VIP entrance...is laughable," the team said. "It's disappointing Spike would create this false controversy to perpetuate drama."

Former Pacers guard Reggie Miller suggested on Twitter that Lee should start rooting for a new team.

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Jenna West
JENNA WEST

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