Sensational case of “espionage” within the NBA.
I New York Knicks have sued a former employee of theirs, accused of turning classified material over to the Toronto Raptors. According to Adnkronos the perpetrator would be Ikechukwu Azotam, moved a few weeks ago from the New York franchise to the Canadian franchise.
During his final days in the Big Apple, Azotam allegedly illegally spread some confidential documents, passing them on to the very team that was about to hire him (and with whom he evidently already had an agreement). The files in question would also cover statistics, videos, and game strategies. According to the Knicks’ reconstruction, the material would already have been viewed 3,000 times by members of the Raptors.
The New York team reportedly became aware of the leak soon after Azotam’s last day on the job. Now the Knicks have initiated a lawsuit to obtain a compensation from their former employee and warn the Raptors against using that material. Azotam has worked on the Knicks’ technical staff since 2020, coordinating the area that focuses on video analytics and was also involved in player development. The New York franchise accuses the Canadian one of deliberately using the illegally acquired information to organize the new coaching staff, led a few months ago by Darko Rajakovic, in his first experience as head coach. From Toronto they deny any involvement and assure maximum cooperation.
