Malik Beasley investigation: NBA star accused of gambling-related irregularities
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is in the spotlight, but not for basketball. According to ESPN, he’s facing allegations tied to gambling on NBA games and prop bets during the 2023-24 season, when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Beasley has played for a number of NBA teams over his career. That includes the Bucks, Lakers, Jazz, Timberwolves and Nuggets.
BREAKING: The U.S. District Attorney’s office is investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets, sources told ESPN. Serious development surrounding one of the top NBA free agents. pic.twitter.com/U0W1QONYva
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
Is Malik Beasley being investigated?Yes, he is. NBA spokesman Mike Bass confirmed that there’s a federal investigation involving Beasley.
It all reportedly started when a major sportsbook noticed some suspicious betting patterns on Beasley’s prop bets earlier this year. On January 31, when the Bucks played the Trail Blazers, the odds for Beasley getting fewer than 2.5 rebounds shifted a lot. They started at around +120 and moved all the way to -250 before tip-off, thanks to a surge of bets on the under. But Beasley ended up grabbing six rebounds in that game.
Beasley’s lawyer, Steve Haney, responded to the news by telling ESPN, “An investigation is not a charge.
“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.”
He also added, “I’ve been doing this for over 20 years and I’ve had numerous clients investigated federally that have never been charged with a crime, so the fact that there is an investigation that is associated with Malik in some fashion does not mean he’s charged of the crime, doesn’t mean that he’s banned from basketball, doesn’t mean anything other than what it means — that [there is] an investigation that includes his involvement.”
And Haney pointed out: “A lot of people are investigated for things that they haven’t done.”
The NBA has issued a statement of its own, saying it is “cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation.”
Yes, and he just finished a strong season with the Pistons. He made $6 million this year on a one-year deal, which actually ranked him only 10th in salary on the team for the 2024-25 season.
The deal gave Detroit a solid player for a bargain price and allowed them flexibility with their cap space. But now, Beasley is set to become a free agent, and he’s likely to be in high demand for teams that need a shooter.
“Me, I feel like I’m a winning player, someone who’s worth investing in longterm. But the league wasn’t necessarily seeing that last summer. So I knew I had to take a one-year deal and show everyone.” – Malik Beasley
If Detroit wants to keep him around, they’ll probably need to offer a lot more than they did last time. Elite 3-point shooters don’t come cheap, and Beasley might be the best one available this offseason.
Before the playoffs, Beasley wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune and called Detroit a “perfect fit.” The team seems to agree.
“I’ve made this community my own, and I feel like this community has made ME one of THEIR own,” he wrote.
Beasley is a nine-year NBA vet who’s been with six teams. He was with the Nuggets from 2016 to 2020, then the Timberwolves until 2022. He had his first full season as a starter in 2023-24, starting 77 games for Milwaukee and averaging 11.3 points per game.
He signed his one-year deal with the Pistons on July 6. There was talk that the team might trade him to a playoff contender before the February deadline. But Detroit made a surprise run themselves, and Beasley even asked the front office not to move him.
Now, after playing a key role in the Pistons’ first playoff appearance since 2019, the team is expected to try and lock him down long-term.
But with this investigation hanging over everything, it’s unclear what happens next.
ReadWrite has reached out to the NBA and Malik Beasley’s representatives for comment.
Featured image: Dennis Adair / Creative Commons 2.0
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