Free agent guard Malik Beasley has been indicted by federal prosecutors in New York on sports gambling charges, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Former NBA big man Ed Davis was also indicted.
Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, said in a statement to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press that his client is facing sports betting, money laundering, and wire fraud charges and that they “look forward to defending all charges.”
The federal case centers on allegations from prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York that Beasley and Davis became close while playing together on the 2020/21 Timberwolves and later worked together to manipulate Beasley’s performances in four NBA games for betting purposes during Beasley’s time with the Bucks in the 2023/24 season.
According to prosecutors, Beasley was dealing with gambling losses totaling millions of dollars and joined the betting scheme with Davis and three other people, including former NBA agent Paolo Zamorano, in an effort to pay down that debt.
In one alleged text message sent about a month before the first game at issue, Davis told Beasley, “Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” and added, “Everything else they got the edge.”
The games identified by prosecutors include Bucks/Cavaliers on January 26, 2024, Bucks/Hornets on February 27, Bucks/Clippers on March 10, and Bucks/Nets on March 21. In the January 26 game, Beasley took just two field goal attempts and scored three points, and investigators say the group wagered thousands of dollars on that contest.
The betting also allegedly targeted Beasley’s rebounding numbers. The group took the “over” on his rebounds at 3.5 in the Clippers game and celebrated when he grabbed his fourth rebound in the closing seconds. But the plan did not hold up in the Nets game, where the group bet the “under” on his rebounds and Beasley finished with six boards.
Beasley, a prolific three-point shooter, finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024/25 and had been on track for a lucrative multiyear contract with the Pistons in free agency. Those talks ended after reports surfaced that federal investigators and the NBA were looking into him over a possible link to illegal betting activity. The 29-year-old later signed with Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team owned by Bad Bunny, while he waits for clarity on his NBA future.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said the league is reviewing the indictment and will continue to investigate the matter. Bass also noted that Beasley last played in the NBA during the 2024/25 season and Davis last played in the league during the 2021/22 season. He said the league will cooperate with authorities and that “the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Beasley and Davis are now the fourth and fifth former NBA players indicted by federal prosecutors in the ongoing illegal sports gambling probe, joining Terry Rozier, Jontay Porter, and Damon Jones. Porter was permanently banned from the NBA after a league investigation found that he had disclosed confidential information to bettors, while the other cases remain ongoing.
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