A New York judge has directed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to handle a dispute between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors regarding the alleged theft of confidential files. This decision came after the Knicks sued the Raptors in August 2023, seeking over $10 million in damages. The Raptors requested Silver’s intervention soon after the lawsuit was filed, asserting that the matter should be resolved through NBA mechanisms rather than the court system. They argued that the lawsuit was an unnecessary use of judicial resources, given Silver’s authority to address such disputes. The Knicks opposed this request, partly due to Silver’s close relationship with Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum, who also serves as chairman of the NBA board of governors. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Jessica Clarke sided with the Raptors, effectively putting the court case on hold while both parties pursue an out-of-court resolution under Silver’s oversight. This ruling, as reported by ESPN, shifts the focus from the U.S. Southern District Court in Lower Manhattan to the NBA’s internal adjudication processes.
