New York Knicks owner James Dolan has resigned from multiple positions he held across various NBA board committees.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports Dolan—who also owns the New York Rangers as well as Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment—stepped down from the NBA's influential advisory/finance and media committees in a July memo sent to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
"Given all that has occurred lately, I have come to the conclusion that the NBA neither needs nor wants my opinion," Dolan wrote in the memo, which was also sent to the league's 29 other owners.
Dolan added, "My hope is that the Knicks will be treated equally and fairly as all other NBA teams. As you know, I am very busy with all my duties at MSG family of companies. I need to apply my time where I can be most productive."
The news is the latest chapter in the increasing tension between Dolan and Silver.
Earlier this week, the Knicks filed a motion in their recent lawsuit against the Toronto Raptors. Filed in August, the lawsuit is seeking more than $10 million in damages for the alleged theft of confidential files, which the Knicks claim a former employee took from the team to their latest job with the Raptors.
The Knicks' latest court filing is in response to a motion from the Raptors, which was filed Oct. 16 and asked Silver to serve as an arbitrator for the dispute.
According to documents obtained by the New York Post, the lawsuit asks that Silver refrain from delivering a ruling on the matter due to his "close relationship" with Toronto minority owner Larry Tanenbaum, who also serves as the league’s Chairman of the Board of Governors.
“In his capacity as Chairman, Tanenbaum serves as Silver’s boss and exercises control over and heavily influences Silver’s continued employment and salary,” the Knicks stated.
The lawsuit continued, “Tanenbaum and Silver also have a close relationship. Among other things, Tanenbaum has been described as ‘a close ally of Commissioner Adam Silver.’ Silver himself described Tanenbaum as ‘not just my boss as the chairman of the board of governors, but he’s very much a role model in my life.’"
