Knicks and Raptors Settle Legal Dispute Over Information Theft
The New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors have reached an agreement to voluntarily dismiss a 2023 lawsuit related to the alleged theft of thousands of confidential files. This is revealed in a court document filed on Friday.
The spokespeople for both teams issued an identical statement: “The Knicks and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (owners of the Raptors) withdrew their respective claims and the matter is resolved. The parties are focusing on the future.”
The lawsuit, filed by the Knicks in August 2023, sought compensation of more than $10 million. The team alleged that the Raptors recruited Ikechukwu Azotam, who worked for the Knicks from 2020 to 2023, and ordered him to provide a large amount of internal information after Toronto began recruiting him in the summer of 2023. The Knicks argued that this effort aimed to give the Raptors a competitive advantage.
Specifically, the Knicks accused Azotam, who served as assistant video coordinator, and then as director of video/analytics/assistant player development, of sending the Raptors thousands of confidential files, including play frequency reports, a preparation book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files, and opposition research.
The Knicks alleged that Azotam acted at the request of the Raptors, who, according to them, were trying to “organize, plan and structure the new coaching and video operations staff,” according to the August 2023 complaint.
The Raptors, Azotam, Toronto coach Darko Rajaković, player development coach Noah Lewis, and 10 “unknown” employees were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
In a court filing from October 2023, the Raptors called the Knicks’ accusations “baseless” and a “public relations stunt.” The Raptors argued that the “alleged ‘data theft’ involved little more than publicly available information, compiled through public sources readily accessible to all NBA members.”
The Raptors repeatedly requested that NBA commissioner Adam Silver intervene and resolve the dispute, and a judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Lower Manhattan agreed.
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice, which means it is dismissed permanently.
