Judge announces Adam Silver’s settlement in New York Knicks lawsuit

A United States District Judge has ordered Silver to be disbanded in the ongoing legal dispute between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors.

According to multiple reports, Judge Jessica G. L. Clarke of the Southern District of New York ruled that the case should be decided by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, not a court. The dispute stems from the alleged theft of confidential Knicks files by a former team employee who allegedly passed confidential materials to Toronto.

The Knicks previously argued that Silver should recuse himself from the proceedings due to his friendship with Larry Tanenbaum, president of Raptors parent company Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

According to a report from Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Clarke said that trying to remove Silver from the proceedings at this stage would be “like a complaint about the officiating before the game even starts.” However, the Knicks intend to continue on their current path.

“We were the victim of the theft of confidential and proprietary files, which was a clear violation of criminal and civil law, and we continue to consider our legal options,” an MSG Sports spokesperson said of the incident. “We do not believe it is appropriate for the NBA Commissioner to rule on a matter involving his boss, the president of the NBA and his team.”

The reaction, predictably, was different on Toronto’s side. A Raptors spokesman told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post that he was “pleased that the court agreed that this matter should be resolved by the NBA, which we believe is the proper forum for this type of dispute.” Silver, for his part, has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, saying that in September he “didn’t yet have a sense of how outrageous it is.”

Clarke’s ruling left open the possibility of going back to court, arguing that it could happen if Silver found himself unfit to arbitrate.

It seems the two sides have no problem staying close: Reports surfaced earlier this week that OG Anunoby and Immanuel Quickley, the key players who were traded between the Atlantic Division rivals in late December, would sign long-term contract extensions with their new teams.

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