Report: Knicks only team to vote against Toronto WNBA franchise
The New York Knicks were the only team at the NBA Board of Governors meeting to vote against approving a WNBA franchise for Toronto, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The WNBA Board of Governors voted 13-0 in favour.
Toronto was awarded a WNBA team on Thursday, two weeks after Kilmer Sports Inc. finalized the expansion. Shireen Ahmed of CBC Sports was first to report the news on May 10.
The Knicks filed a lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors alleging that the Raptors, head coach Darko Rajakovic and former Knicks scouting employee Ikechukwu Azotam conspired to steal thousands of videos and other scouting secrets in July and August. They are seeking $10 million in damages.
The original lawsuit filed by the Knicks on Aug. 21 claimed that secrets, including scouting and play frequency reports, along with a prep book and a link to valuable software, had been downloaded thousands of times by Raptors employees. The lawsuit also identified Azotam as the alleged mole. Since Aug. 2021, Azotam had directed the planning, organizing and distribution of all video scouting responsibilities for the Knicks’ coaching staff.
On Oct. 16, MLSE filed a motion for dismissal, calling the lawsuit “baseless” and a “public relations stunt by the Knicks.”
— With files from Associated Press
More from Sportsnet
Toronto awarded WNBA’s first franchise outside U.S., with expansion team set to begin play in 2026
Knicks seeking over $10M in damages from Raptors, don’t want Silver to arbitrate