The NBA will hold an arbitration hearing during the week of July 21 for Adam Silver to settle the long-running legal dispute between the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, according to a court filing Saturday in New York that was obtained by ESPN.
In August 2023, the Knicks sued the Raptors alleging the theft of thousands of confidential files. From the start, the Raptors asked Silver to step in, but the Knicks, who sought more than $10 million in damages, expressed concerns about Silver's ability to remain impartial, arguing that he should stay on the sidelines partly because of his close relationship with Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum, who also is chairman of the NBA board of governors.
In the initial complaint, the Knicks alleged that the Raptors poached Ikechukwu Azotam, who worked for New York from 2020 to 2023, and ordered him to provide a trove of internal information after Toronto began recruiting him in summer 2023. The Knicks argued that this effort was geared toward giving the Raptors a competitive advantage.
In the initial complaint, the Knicks alleged that the Raptors poached Ikechukwu Azotam, who worked for New York from 2020 to 2023, and ordered him to provide a trove of internal information after Toronto began recruiting him in summer 2023. The Knicks argued that this effort was geared toward giving the Raptors a competitive advantage.
