Former NBA Player Malik Beasley Pleads Not Guilty To Gambling Charges
Former player Malik Beasley played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association, earning $59.9 million.
But now he’s accused of changing his play during the 2024 season to settle debts he owed to another former NBA player, Ed Davis. He’s said to have affected multiple games that season by agreeing to limit certain performance metrics.
Per an NBC report, in one game, when Beasley was playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, he agreed to keep his rebounds under 3.5 in a game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 6, 2024.
That night, he only had one rebound.
Beasley appeared in court in New York City this week to plead not guilty. He, Davis and four others were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
He was released on a $100,000 bond with his parents as co-signers.
“He is presumed innocent, and that still has to mean something, obviously,” his lawyer, Jason Goldman, said outside the courtroom.
He added, “There’s a bigger conversation about the industry about the individuals and institutions that are profiting billions and billions of dollars and fueling addiction and a larger, broader conversation that needs to happen at some point. Mr. Beasley wants to move on with his life…this is only the beginning of things. An arrest means nothing, an indictment means nothing.”
Beasley heads back to court in August. Despite his lawyer’s statement, it’s not looking good for him.
Former player Damon Jones has already pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In 2025, he was part of a larger gambling case that also ensnared former Detroit Pistons coach Chauncey Billups.
More than thirty people have been charged by the Eastern District of New York in that case, which involved rigged poker games and the use of insider information to influence betting outcomes. Among those thirty people are several known mob associates from four of the five crime families.
Jones is a co-conspirator in the case with Beasley and Davis and will be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2027. He’s facing up to 27 months on the charges.
