Report: Raptors Being Sued by Knicks Alleging Ex-Employee Illegally Disclosed Proprietary Information

The Toronto Raptors are being sued by the New York Knicks after an ex-employee allegedly disclosed proprietary information to Raptors

The New York Knicks are suing the Toronto Raptors and members of the Raptors organization for taking proprietary information during the course of the offseason, SNY reported Monday. 

A member of Toronto's new coaching staff Ikechukwu Azotam reportedly took "thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position" from his former position with the Knicks, a spokesperson for MSG told SNY.

"These files include confidential information such as play frequency reports, a prep book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files and materials and more," according to the statement. "Given the clear violation of our employment agreement, criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this action.”

Azotam worked for the Knicks as an assistant video coordinator and was recruited to join Toronto's coaching staff under head coach Darko Rajakovic in June 2023, the suit says. Rajakovic allegedly "conspired to use Azotam’s position as a current Knicks insider to funnel proprietary information to the Raptors to help them organize, plan, and structure the new coaching and video operations staff.”

It wasn't until July that Azotam informed the Knicks he'd been offered a job with the Raptors, according to the suit. Azotam began "secretly forwarding proprietary information from his Knicks email account to his personal Gmail account, which he then shared with the Raptors Defendants. These materials included scouting reports, play frequency reports, a prep book, and a link to third-party licensed software," SNY learned.

A spokesperson for MLSE told TSN, "strongly denies any involvement in the matters alleged."

Raptors' statement on the reported Knicks' lawsuit, which alleges that a former NYK employee illegally took proprietary files with him to his new position in Toronto: pic.twitter.com/Pwqg2XPRV6

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 21, 2023

Toronto hired Rajakovic to take over for Nick Nurse in June of this summer.