Knicks Call Out NBA’s “Complete Silence” in Legal Feud with Raptors

NBA accused of bias and inaction as New York Knicks claim confidential files were stolen by former staffer now with Toronto Raptors

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks executive chairman James Dolan eats popcorn as he sits court side during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have accused NBA Commissioner Adam Silver of showing bias in the league’s handling of their ongoing dispute with the Toronto Raptors, according to reporting from Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. The Knicks allege that Silver’s relationship with Raptors minority owner and NBA Chairman Larry Tanenbaum has led to a lack of action in arbitrating the matter.

The roots of the conflict trace back to August 2023, when the Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Raptors, claiming that their former video coordinator, Ike Azotam, had stolen “thousands of proprietary files” containing scouting reports, play strategies, and other confidential team information. The Knicks alleged that Azotam shared these files with his new employer, the Raptors, in a breach of confidentiality.

In June 2024, a court ruled that the dispute should be resolved within the NBA’s arbitration system rather than through the legal system. Since then, however, the Knicks claim there has been little to no movement on the case. In a joint filing submitted on December 13, both the Knicks and Raptors stated that “as of the date of this letter, the NBA has not yet set a process or schedule, and discovery has not commenced,” per the Post. This filing confirmed that no progress had been made.

The Knicks released a scathing statement to the New York Post, saying, “We’ve been waiting for any direction from the NBA on next steps in this matter for months — proving our point that the NBA is not capable of appropriately and fairly handling this serious theft of proprietary and confidential files,” The statement continued, “Unfortunately, because of the clear conflict of interest between the Commissioner and the Chairman of the NBA, there has been complete silence from the league.”

For their part, the Raptors have denied the Knicks’ claims, calling the accusations baseless. The Knicks are seeking more than $10 million in damages as part of their legal action. Silver has been largely silent on the matter, telling reporters in July, “I won’t respond,” while noting that the league office was working through the court’s directive.