Malik Beasley to Plead Guilty in Sports Betting Scheme

Veteran NBA guard Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to a sports betting scheme, according to his attorney, Steve Haney. Beasley, 29, initially pleaded not guilty on July 1 but has since been negotiating a plea agreement with the Department of Justice. He is scheduled to formally change his plea on December 9 in Brooklyn.

Beasley is accused of working with bettors to manipulate his performance in at least four games during the 2024 season while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. These actions were allegedly taken to help pay down gambling debts, which sources indicate led him to lose millions of dollars and borrow money from former NBA player Ed Davis.

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Beasley, a first-round pick in 2016, has played for multiple NBA teams, including the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and most recently, the Detroit Pistons in the 2024-25 season. In that season, he finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging 16.3 points per game. His career earnings are reported to be nearly $60 million.

Earlier this year, Beasley played for the Santurce Crabbers, a team in the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional owned by the artist Bad Bunny. He had been in discussions for a potential three-year, $42 million contract with the Detroit Pistons before the federal gambling probe surfaced in 2025.

This case follows other recent instances of NBA players facing consequences for gambling-related activities. In 2024, former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the league for his involvement in a betting scheme and for betting on NBA games himself. Additionally, Terry Rozier is awaiting trial in February on accusations of manipulating his participation in a game as part of a betting scheme.