The New York Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors on Monday which alleges head coach Darko Rajakovic for tapping a former Knicks worker who breached by the team’s confidential basketball contents and supplies.
The Knicks accused their ex-video coordinator Ikechukwu Azotam of illegally bringing “thousands” of play and scouting data with him to the Raptors. Azotam was referred to as up by Rajakovic to turn out to be a member of his Toronto teaching workers this offseason.
New York famous 14 defendants which included Raptors’ mother or father firm Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Rajakovic, Azotam, and participant growth mentor Noah Lewis.
“Defendant Rajakovic and the other Raptor Defendants recruited and used Azotam to serve as a mole within the Knicks organization to convey information that would assist the Raptors Defendants in trying to manage their team,” the lawsuit acknowledged.
The lawsuit went on to explain Rajakovic as a “novice” coach who wanted a sample to construct his personal organizational construction and training technique resulting from his uncommon path in the direction of a head teaching profession. The Knicks additional alleged him and different defendants of instructing Azotam to “funnel proprietary information to the Raptors” to construct their new teaching workers.
Rajakovic changed Nick Nurse because the the most recent head coach of the Raptors. He was employed by the membership again in June after spending years as an assistant below Taylor Jenkins’ workers within the Memphis Grizzlies.
For its half, the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment expressed their shock on the submitting of the lawsuit and denied the allegations made by the Knicks.
“MLSE and the Toronto Raptors received a letter from MSG on Thursday of last week bringing this complaint to our attention,” MLSE mentioned in a statement. “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.”
