The New York Knicks sued the Toronto Raptors on Monday, accusing them of hiring a “mole” who leaked scouting reports and other confidential material to the team, Reuters reported.

New York Knicks vs Toronto RaptorsPhoto: USA TODAY Sports / ddp USA / Profimedia

The Toronto Raptors are accused of stealing confidential information from the New York Knicks

The Knicks accused their former video, analytics and player development assistant Ikechukwu Azotama, who left the team last week, of stealing thousands of files and giving them to the Raptors.

“Given the clear violation of the employment contract, criminal and civil laws, we had no choice but to take these actions,” said a spokesman for the Knicks’ parent company, MSG Sports.

In June, the Raptors hired Darko Rajakovic, a former assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, as their head coach.

“Defendant, a first-time NBA head coach, was expected to implement his own organizational structure and coaching methods,” the Knicks’ lawsuit, which names Rajakovic, Azotam and several unidentified Raptors employees, says.

“Obviously, given his unorthodox path to becoming a head coach, defendant Rajakovic did not have his own method, so he chose to use the Knicks’ methods,” the document states.

The Knicks first hired Azotham as a video coordinator in 2020. The lawsuit revealed that Azotam had been recruited by the Raptors since June and told the Knicks he had received a job offer from them in late July.

Around the same time, Azotam began sending confidential information to the Raptors, including details about the Knicks’ organizational structure, game reports and opponent tendencies, and game film edited by his scouting team.

The Knicks demanded an unspecified amount of compensation and asked the court to permanently prohibit the Raptors and Azots from abusing trade secrets, writes News.ro.