Malik Beasley has been indicted by federal prosecutors in New York on sports gambling charges, with former NBA center Ed Davis also named in the case, according to reporting from The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov.
Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, said his client is facing sports betting, money laundering and wire fraud charges and that they “look forward to defending all charges.”
The indictment comes out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which alleges Beasley and Davis grew close when they were teammates on the 2020/21 Timberwolves and later worked together to manipulate Beasley’s play in four NBA games for betting purposes while Beasley was with the Bucks during the 2023/24 season.
Prosecutors say Beasley had millions in gambling losses and joined the scheme with Davis and three other people, including former NBA agent Paolo Zamorano, in an effort to cover that debt.
One alleged text message from Davis to Beasley, sent about a month before the first targeted game, read: “Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” Davis allegedly told Beasley in a text message about a month before the first game in question, a Bucks/Cavaliers matchup on January 26, 2024. “Everything else they got the edge.”
The games identified by prosecutors were January 26 against the Cavaliers, February 27 against the Hornets, March 10 against the Clippers and March 21 against the Nets. In the Jan. 26 game, Beasley took just two shots and scored three points, and investigators say the group wagered thousands of dollars tied to that outing.
According to Vorkunov’s reporting, the group bet the “over” on Beasley’s rebounds at 3.5 for the Clippers game and celebrated when he got his fourth rebound in the final seconds. The plan allegedly backfired in the Nets game, when they bet the “under” on his rebounds and Beasley finished with six.
Beasley, a high-volume three-point threat, finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024/25 and had been in line for a major multiyear deal with the Pistons before contract talks stopped once federal investigators and the NBA began looking into a possible link to illegal betting activity. He later signed with Cangrejeros de Santurce, the Puerto Rican team owned by Bad Bunny, while his NBA future remains unresolved.
The case adds Beasley and Davis to a list of former NBA players already indicted in the broader federal gambling probe, alongside Terry Rozier, Jontay Porter and Damon Jones. Porter was permanently banned from the NBA after a league investigation found he had shared confidential information with bettors. The other cases are still active.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said the league is reviewing the indictment and will continue to cooperate with authorities.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictment unsealed today involving Malik Beasley and Ed Davis. Beasley last played in the NBA during the 2024/25 season and Davis last played in the league during the 2021/22 season.
We will continue to investigate this matter and cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
In Other News...
Former Tar Heel Henri Veesaar Finally Faced His Draft Night Reality
Henri Veesaars draft night did not unfold the way most of the chatter around him had pointed for months. The former Tar Heel entered the process with first-round expectations, but a crowded class and a less convincing showing at the scouting combine pushed him into a far less comfortable spot, turning what had looked like a clean rise into a night of waiting and recalculating.
When the Hawks finally came in during the second round, Veesaar got his answer and soon enough was talking through how he fits in Atlanta. For North Carolina, it was a reminder of how quickly draft boards can shift, and how a players value can be shaped as much by timing and pre-draft workouts as by what he did in college. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs No. 26 Could Change The Offense Where It Hurt Most
North Carolina has spent the offseason trying to rebuild the parts of its roster that let it down a year ago, and the tight end room has become one of the more interesting places to watch. Bill Belichicks first team in Chapel Hill is under real pressure to show progress, so the additions through recruiting and the transfer portal matter more than ever, especially when they give the offense a different kind of target in the middle of the field.
The latest arrival brings the kind of size and profile that can change how a defense has to line up, and he came to UNC with plenty of attention after drawing interest around the portal. What makes him even more important is the uncertainty at quarterback, with the Tar Heels still sorting out who will take the first snaps in the fall. If that battle leans toward a younger option, a reliable tight end could become the kind of security blanket that helps this offense find answers in the red zone, where it needs them most. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former Tar Heels Are Bringing Chapel Hill With Them to the NBA
Two former Tar Heels are keeping a little piece of Chapel Hill with them as they head into the NBA. Caleb Wilson, the fourth overall pick, will wear No. 8 with the Chicago Bulls, the same number he wore at North Carolina, while Henri Veesaar is taking No. 13 into his pro career after being picked by the Los Angeles Clippers and then traded to the Atlanta Hawks.
For Carolina fans, it is a small but familiar detail that makes the transition feel a little less distant. Wilsons lone season in Chapel Hill ended early because of injury, but the number on his back will still look the part when he steps on an NBA floor. Veesaar, meanwhile, is continuing the number he carried through both Arizona and North Carolina, another reminder that even as the roster turns over, some Tar Heel connections travel well beyond college. [Read more 🡒]