The New York Knicks have taken legal action against the Toronto Raptors, alleging that a former Knicks employee engaged in the theft of scouting reports and proprietary information upon receiving a job offer from the rival NBA team. The Knicks filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, targeting the Raptors organization, their head coach Darko Rajaković, and the former employee Ikechukwu Azotam.
Furthermore, the Knicks assert that Azotam, who had been part of their video analytics and player development teams, initiated the theft in early August to assist the Raptors’ coach in establishing coaching and video staffs. The Knicks claim the stolen files were accessed over 2,000 times by the Raptors defendants.
In response to the allegations, the Raptors and their parent company, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, announced their intention to conduct an internal investigation and fully cooperate, while vehemently denying any involvement in the alleged matters.
Additionally, the lawsuit reveals that Azotam, who worked for the Knicks from October 2020 until recently, not only provided the Raptors with scouting reports on teams like the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and Dallas Mavericks, but also sent play frequency reports, a prep book, and links to his account with Synergy Sports Technology, a third-party video analytics company utilized by the Knicks for game analysis. The Knicks maintain that Azotam’s actions were discovered by their insider threat security team just last week. Seeking unspecified damages, they aim to halt the defendants’ use of the alleged stolen information. The lawsuit details Azotam’s role overseeing game videos used by the Knicks’ coaches for scouting and preparation before he left to join the Raptors.
The lawsuit underscores the intense rivalry in the basketball realm and highlights the concern over proprietary information theft in professional sports. As the case unfolds, it is expected to shed light on how teams handle sensitive data and the measures taken to protect their intellectual property.
