Guard Malik Beasley is under federal investigation in connection with allegations that he was tied to gambling activity on NBA games and prop bets, ESPN reported Sunday.
The allegations date to the 2023-24 season when Beasley was with the Milwaukee Bucks, one of six teams he has played for since the Denver Nuggets selected him No. 19 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft.
He spent the 2024-25 season with the Detroit Pistons on a one-year, $6 million contract and is due to become a free agent when the new league year begins Monday evening.
The NBA is aware of the allegations.
“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.
Beginning around January 2024, one U.S. sportsbook saw an sharp upturn in betting on Beasley’s statistics, such as rebounds per game, per the report.
“An investigation is not a charge,” Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN. “Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything.”
ESPN reported that because of the allegations, discussions about a new three-year, $42 million contract have halted.
Beasley, 28, appeared in all 82 games (18 starts) last season with the Pistons and averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range.
He has career averages of 11.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists with the Nuggets (2016-20), Minneapolis Timberwolves (2020-22), Utah Jazz (2022-23), Los Angeles Lakers (2023), Bucks (2023-24) and Pistons.
The NBA suspended Beasley for 12 games in 2021 after he entered a guilty plea to a felony charge of threats of violence. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail to be served after the 2020-21 season and was released after 78 days.
–Field Level Media
