• The New York Knicks have started legal action against the Toronto Raptors and a former employee
• The Knicks allege that a former employee leaked thousands of confidential files to the Raptors
• These files include play frequency reports, a prep book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files, opposition research, and more
The New York Knicks have initiated legal action against former employee Ikechukwu Azotam for leaking thousands of confidential files to the Toronto Raptors, who are also named in the lawsuit.
Azotam had told the Knicks that he will be exploring an opportunity with the Toronto Raptors after he left the Knicks in August 2023. However, The Knicks found proof of Azotam sharing confidential files to his personal email for the purpose of being sent to members of the Raptors staff. The lawsuit alleges that Azotam did so under orders from members of the Raptors organization.
Among the names mentioned in the lawsuit, even new Raptors’ head coach Darko Rajakovic may be implicated. The Raptors’ ownership group has maintained innocence, but this could become a long-drawn-out matter that weighs over both teams in the season.
The Raptors Respond To These Allegations
The Raptors were quick to release a proper statement addressing the situation, promising that they will cooperate with all parties in this lawsuit.
“MLSE responded promptly, making clear our intention to conduct an internal investigation and to fully cooperate. MLSE has not been advised that a lawsuit was being filed or has been filed following its correspondence with MSG. The company strongly denies any involvement in the matters alleged. MLSE and the Toronto Raptors will reserve further comment until this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.”
All of this coming to light in the preseason is good, as both teams will hope to come to a resolution before this drags into the season. Ikechukwu Azotam will likely face some punishment for this version of corporate espionage, but it’ll be interesting to see the level of involvement that Raptors personnel had in this scandal.
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