The New York Knicks have taken legal action against the Toronto Raptors and individuals associated with their organization, including a former Knicks employee, whom they allege “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position.” The lawsuit also implicates new head coach Darko Rajaković. The Knicks claim that the stolen material contains secret and crucial information that gives them a competitive advantage over their rivals, including the Raptors. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks unspecified damages and a halt to the further dissemination of the Knicks’ trade secrets.
The Knicks assert that the theft of proprietary information, which includes scouting reports, play frequency reports, videos, and scouting secrets, occurred within the past few weeks. The former Knicks employee named in the lawsuit is Ikechukwu Azotam, who served as the director responsible for video scouting for the coaching staff since August 2021. The Knicks accuse the Raptors of utilizing Azotam to gain access to their information and exploiting it. The lawsuit also alleges that Azotam took a prep book for the Knicks’ 2022-2023 season with him to the Raptors.
The Raptors and their parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Limited, have vehemently denied any involvement in the alleged matters. They issued a statement expressing their prompt response to the situation and their commitment to conducting an internal investigation and cooperating fully.
According to the lawsuit, Azotam informed the Knicks of his intention to join the Raptors in late July, with his final day at the Knicks being August 14. Before his departure, the Knicks claim that Azotam unlawfully transferred highly confidential team data and sent two emails from his active Knicks email address to his new Raptors email. One of the emails reportedly contained an advanced scouting report on the Indiana Pacers, while the other contained a similar report on the Denver Nuggets.
The lawsuit further reveals that the Raptors accessed the stolen files over 2,000 times. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Scott Thompson, a sports writer for Fox News Digital, authored this article.
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