NBA Sets Hearing Date for Knicks-Raptors Battle Over 'Stolen' Files

The NBA has officially set a hearing date for late July 2025 in the ongoing legal dispute between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. The announcement comes 13 months after a court ordered the NBA to arbitrate the case, a timeline that has only heightened the Knicks' frustration with the league’s handling of the matter.

NEWS:

The NBA has finally set a date of late July for the hearing involving the Knicks-Raptors dispute, a league source told The Post. That’s 13 months after the court handed it off the NBA to arbitrate and nearly two years since the original lawsuit was filed.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) December 17, 2024

The issue at the center of the Knicks’ case revolves around allegations that former Knicks employee Ike Azotam stole over 3,000 confidential files before joining the Raptors. The Knicks claim these files included scouting reports, play frequency data, and a 2022-2023 season prep book. According to the Knicks, Azotam secretly forwarded this proprietary information from his Knicks email to a personal Gmail account, later sharing it with the Raptors’ staff. The lawsuit, filed on August 21, 2023, escalated tensions between the two franchises and named several key Raptors figures as defendants, including head coach Darko Rajaković and player development coach Noah Lewis.

While the NBA’s decision to schedule a hearing represents a step forward, the Knicks are frustrated with the pace of the process. In a statement to the New York Post, an MSG Sports spokesperson criticized the league for delaying a judgment.

“We remain skeptical because the NBA has consistently demonstrated no desire to address this matter, most likely due to the fact that the Chairman of the NBA is the defendant,” a spokeperson told Bondy.

A key point of contention for the Knicks is NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s ability to fairly preside over the arbitration. The Knicks have repeatedly raised concerns about Silver’s relationship with Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of the Raptors’ parent company, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Tanenbaum also serves as chairman of the NBA’s Board of Governors, a role that has prompted the Knicks to question whether Silver can impartially oversee the dispute.

The Raptors have strongly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “baseless” and a "public relations stunt" in an October 2023 court filing. They argue that much of the data allegedly stolen was publicly accessible through subscription services like Synergy Sports, which NBA teams commonly use for player analytics. The Raptors contend that proprietary claims regarding such information are unfounded.

The upcoming hearing in July 2025 will provide the Knicks with an opportunity to make their case for discipline against the Raptors. The Knicks are also seeking damages exceeding $10 million, an amount higher than the maximum fine Adam Silver can impose under NBA rules.