The Toronto Raptors have fired back at the lawsuit involving former New York Knicks employee Ikechukwu Azotam on Monday.

The Raptors issued a statement on the said lawsuit on Monday, per TSN Sports Raptors NBA beat reporter Josh Lewenberg.

The Knicks shocked the NBA world by filing a proprietary lawsuit against Toronto on August 21. MSG Sports CEO James Dolan and his party claim Azotam, a former employee, “illegally procured” sensitive company information. Worse, Azotam allegedly leaked and shared the information with the Raptors after he joined their organization several weeks ago.

Azotam also reportedly signed a confidentiality clause in his earlier contract with MSG Sports that forbade him from sharing confidential company information.

“The New York Knicks have sued the Toronto Raptors and several members of their organization, including a former Knicks employee, after the former employee illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position with the Toronto Raptors,” part of the Knicks' lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit also claims Ikechukwu Azotam procured play frequency reports, scouting videos, and other confidential sports-related information. The Knicks reached out to Toronto and the NBA head office before taking legal action against their Eastern Conference opponents.

The Raptors have had some legal issues in recent years

The Raptors have grappled with some legal matters in the past few years.  They were also embroiled in a controversial scandal involving team president Masai Uriji in 2019. The controversy stemmed from a post-game scuffle between Uriji and Alameda County sheriff deputy Alan Strickland in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Raptors and Golden State Warriors.

Both parties filed lawsuits against the other due to the physical altercation that took place at the old Oracle Arena. To Uriji's relief, Strickland and his legal team dropped the lawsuit 18 months later.

Here's hoping the Toronto Raptors settle the Ikechukwu Azotam issue with the Knicks. The last thing both parties want is an unwanted distraction in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.