The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors have been involved in a legal dispute for several months concerning the alleged theft of proprietary information.
How did the Knicks-Raptors conflict begin?
Last August, the Knicks initiated legal action against their Atlantic Division rivals, the Raptors, and former Knicks employee Ikechukwu Azotam, accusing them of unlawfully acquiring thousands of confidential files.
Azotam, who served with the Knicks from November 2020 until his recruitment by the Raptors in June 2023, began as an assistant video coordinator and progressed to become the director of video/analytics/player development assistant during his tenure at the Big Apple.
What did former Knicks employee steal?
The Knicks alleged that Azotam took numerous proprietary files with him when he transitioned to his new role with the Raptors.
According to an MSG spokesperson, these files include play frequency reports, a 2022-23 season prep book, video scouting files, and other materials.
The legal claim argued that Azotam breached a confidentiality clause that obligated him to "maintain the secrecy of all confidential or proprietary Knicks information" upon his departure from the team.
Raptors head coach also sued
Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, who was recently hired during the past offseason, and several other Raptors employees were named defendants in the case.
The accusation revolves around the Raptors allegedly conspiring with Azotam to leverage his position with the Knicks to obtain the confidential information.
This information was intended to aid the Raptors in organizing, planning, and structuring their new coaching and video operations staff, as per the allegations made in the lawsuit.
Toronto's response to the lawsuit
In October, the Raptors submitted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming it was "baseless" and a "public relations stunt."
The Raptors did acknowledge that Azotam utilized his Knicks credentials to obtain files. Nevertheless, their filing argued that he would have access to the same information once his Raptors credentials were established.
The Raptors' motion to dismiss stated that these were not the Knicks' team and player statistics, play frequency data, player tendencies, or play calls.
Instead, they were those of other NBA teams, including particularly the Raptors' game film, compiled from videos of their games accessible to all NBA teams and the general public.
The Raptors asserted that the files were far from confidential, let alone trade secrets.
The latest update about the situation
The Knicks have intensified their dispute with the Raptors by submitting a court document on Monday, November 20, seeking $10 million in damages.
Additionally, they assert that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver should not act as a mediator in the ongoing dispute, citing concerns about his close relationship with Raptors governor and minority owner Larry Tanenbaum.
They pointed out that Tannenbaum serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors, the body that hires and can fire the Commissioner while also setting his annual compensation.
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