August 24th 2023.
The New York Knicks have taken legal action against their former employee, Ikechukwu Azotam, the Toronto Raptors, and members of the Raptor's organization. The Knicks allege that these people illegally procured and disclosed proprietary information.
According to ESPN, the Knicks have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. They claim that Azotam sent the Raptors thousands of confidential files, including play frequency reports, video scouting files, opposition research, and more. The Knicks state that Azotam violated a confidentiality clause and that the Raptors were aware of his wrongful acts.
The lawsuit also states that Azotam illegally shared over 3,300 video files, which were accessed 2000 times by the Raptors' head coach, Darko Rajakovic, player development coach, Noah Lewis, and 10 other members of the Raptors organization.
The Knicks further allege that the Raptors conspired to use Azotam's position as a Knicks insider to obtain proprietary information that would help them organize, plan, and structure their new coaching and video operations staff.
In response to the lawsuit, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, issued a joint statement with the basketball team. They acknowledged receiving a letter from the Knicks and said that they would conduct an internal investigation and cooperate fully. The statement also denied any involvement in the matters alleged.
The Knicks are seeking unspecified damages, for the Raptors to refrain from using the confidential information they acquired, and for Azotam to receive no benefit from his misappropriation and wrongful acts.
The Knicks and Raptors compete in the Atlantic Division of the NBA's Eastern Conference. Last season, the Knicks finished the season with a 47-35 record, while the Raptors recorded a 41-41 record.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
