Who is the former Knicks employee accused of stealing proprietary information? Closer look into his current position with Raptors

The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors remain locked in a legal battle. The Raptors believe that New York's claims are "baseless" and want the civil lawsuit against them dropped. On the other hand, the Knicks believe they have every right to take their issues before a judge. Neither side has shown any willingness to back down on their current stance.

Ikechukwu Azotam, a former employee of the Knicks, has been accused of taking "thousands of proprietary files" to the Raptors after accepting a franchise job. The files include multiple aspects of the Knicks' scouting and on-court preparations. According to the lawsuit report, Azotam shared these files with members of the Raptors franchise, including new head coach Darko Rajakovic.

However, it would appear the Raptors are seeking to have the charges against them dismissed. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Raptors believe the lawsuit to be a publicity stunt by the Knicks and are filing a motion to dismiss the case.

“This baseless lawsuit is a public relations stunt by the Knicks," Katz reported, "It has no business wasting judicial resources given the all-encompassing arbitration clause in the parties’ governing agreement."

The Raptors would prefer their issue with the Knicks to be dealt with via an arbitration hearing, which is usually the protocol for disputes of this nature.

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The former New York Knicks employee, Ikechukwu Azotam, used to play professional basketball

Azotam may be working in the NBA now, but his professional basketball career took place over seasons. Azotam spent his career playing for mid-level European teams, spanning multiple countries.

Azotam also played in the Canadian NBL, representing the Island Storm. With multiple years of professional experience under his belt, Azotam was able to transition into a front-office role once he called time on his career. The New York Knicks were the first team to give Azotam a role within an NBA franchise.

The Raptors felt Azotam would be a valuable addition to their film room and made him an offer to move back to Canada. Since then, both teams have been fighting over what Azotam allegedly did and didn't do. As a former professional player, Azotam will be aware of the impact his alleged actions could have on the Knicks' chances of success.

Furthermore, Darko Rajakovic would likely want to bring his ideas with him and make his imprint on how the Raptors run their scouting department. Nevertheless, both teams will be battling for the foreseeable future as the Knicks look to prove Azotam took information with him to the Raptors.