Raptors sued by Knicks, accused of using ex-employee as 'mole' to steal scouting secrets

The New York Knicks sued the Toronto Raptors, their new head coach and a former Knicks scouting employee on Monday, saying the defendants conspired to steal thousands of videos and other scouting secrets over the past few weeks.

The lawsuit in Manhattan federal court seeks unspecified damages and a ban on the further spread of the Knicks' trade secrets. The lawsuit claimed that secrets including scouting and play frequency reports, along with a prep book and a link to valuable software, had they been downloaded thousands of times by Raptors employees.

"This material consists of secret, proprietary information critical to the Knicks' efforts to maintain a competitive advantage over their rivals, including the Raptors," the lawsuit said.

They blamed Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, hired in June, along with player development coach Noah Lewis, the Raptors' parent company — Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Limited — and 10 unidentified Raptors employees, saying that they received propriety information and sometimes directed Azotam to misuse his access to Knicks information.

In a statement Monday, the Raptors and its parent company said it "strongly denies any involvement in the matters alleged."

According to the statement, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and the Raptors were notified by the owner of the Knicks on Thursday about the allegations, but they had not yet been served a lawsuit.

"MLSE responded promptly, making clear our intention to conduct an internal investigation and to fully cooperate," the statement said. "MLSE and the Toronto Raptors will reserve further comment until this matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties."

An email address listed in the lawsuit for Azotam with the Raptors