• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

The Knicks-Raptors Beef Has Now Extended Into the WNBA

  • The Knicks and Raptors are in a lawsuit surrounding a former video coordinator. 
  • Despite the suit, the teams made one of the NBA’s bigger trades this season.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA’s new expansion franchise in Toronto, formally announced Thursday, was nearly approved by a clean sweep of the WNBA and NBA boards of governors.

Enter Jim Dolan. 

According to ESPN, the Knicks were the lone team between the two leagues to vote against expansion. (WNBA expansion needs approval from the NBA’s owners in addition to its own.) The WNBA approved the Toronto team 13–0, while the NBA was 29–1 in favor; there are a half-dozen ownership groups who own teams in both leagues. Dolan himself used to own the WNBA’s Liberty, a leadership tenure largely marked by utter neglect.

“The Liberty had been underinvested in,” Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai recently told the How She Does It podcast. “It was a storied franchise. But the previous owners for whatever reason just decided they didn’t want to invest anymore, so they moved the team to play in Westchester County Center from Madison Square Garden.”

The Knicks are currently suing the Raptors, claiming a former New York video coordinator stole scouting reports, data, and confidential files when he left to work for Toronto. The team alleged that once the video coordinator received a job offer from the Raptors, he began “secretly forwarding proprietary information” from his work email to his personal one, which he then shared with the new employer. An additional court complaint accused Raptors first-year coach Darko Rajaković of directing the video coordinator to steal the information. 

Larry Tanenbaum, a member of Raptors ownership, first received the complaint from the Knicks in August 2023 and will be the majority owner of the new WNBA franchise. Oddly enough, despite the lawsuit, the two teams still made a major trade in December, sending OG Anunoby to the Raptors in exchange for Immanuel Quickley and Toronto native RJ Barrett in a trade both teams benefited from. The Knicks went on to be the two-seed in the Eastern Conference and won a playoff series for the second time in as many years before injuries left them short in their seven-game series loss to the Pacers. 

In a December court filing, the Raptors said it was a matter better suited for league arbitration, and that they were considering countersuing the Knicks for defamation. The filing called New York’s accusations of commissioner Adam Silver giving Toronto preferential treatment due to his relationship with Tanenbaum “baseless.”  

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The Florida State Seminoles hosted the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.

Athletic Departments Express Renewed Interest in PE in Wake of House Settlement

Schools now have more expenses—and are looking for creative solutions.
Oct 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of the Wells Fargo Center before game between Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

New Philly Arena Will Redefine Home-Court Advantage, CEO Says

The forthcoming venue will arrive with plenty of ambition among its owners.

Jalen Williams Signs Max Deal As Thunder Commit $822M to 3 Stars

Oklahoma City also extended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya’s Legal Win Could Reopen Fight Against Testosterone Limits

The Olympian champion’s appeal against gender eligibility rules continues.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
Stephen Curry celebrates after sinking the winning putt during the final round of the American Century Celebrity Championship golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., Sunday, July 16, 2023.

Golf’s Hottest Celebrity Tournament Keeps Getting More Exclusive

The American Century Championship tees off at Lake Tahoe on Friday.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
July 10, 2025

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.
Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark of the MLBPA
July 10, 2025

MLB, Players’ Union Spar Over Salary Cap As Labor Fight Looms

The MLB Players Association’s No. 2 executive outlines what he sees owners doing.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 10, 2025

Murphy: Club WC Snags Won’t Derail Biggest Event ‘in Human History’

New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is the concluding site of both FIFA events.
Crystal Palace FC
July 10, 2025

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.
July 9, 2025

U.K. Appoints New Soccer Regulator, EPL Matches Stay Behind Paywall

Men’s soccer in England will receive new levels of oversight.
July 9, 2025

NFL’s Alternate Uniforms Fuel Big Business—and Lots of Nostalgia

The Commanders kick off a run of new NFL helmets and uniforms.