Pistons’ Malik Beasley under federal investigation for NBA gambling allegations originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Another professional athlete could be in trouble over sports betting.
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is under investigated by the U.S. District Attorney’s office over gambling allegations for NBA games, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Sunday.
“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
Beasley, 28, is set to be a free agent on Monday after a breakout season with the Pistons. He averaged 16.2 points and didn’t miss a single game for Detroit, which had a drastic turnaround with Beasley leading the second unit.
Over nine NBA seasons since being drafted in 2016, Beasley has played for the Denver Nuggets (2016-20), Minnesota Timberwolves (2020-22), Utah Jazz (2022-23), Los Angeles Lakers (2023), Milwaukee Bucks (2023-24) and Pistons (2024-25). In 2021, he was sentenced to 120 days in jail over a felony charge of threats of violence and was eventually suspended for 12 games by the NBA.
Charania reported that Beasley and the Pistons were in “serious talks” on a three-year, $42 million contract to bring him back to Detroit. Those talks reportedly are on pause as the investigation takes place, but Beasley is free to negotiate with other teams starting Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
“An investigation is not a charge,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney told ESPN. “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.”
The probe into Beasley comes more than a year after Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA over prop bet investigations. He eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud, with sentencing set for this December as prosecutors estimate he could get up to four years in prison.
This past season, Terry Rozier — then of the Charlotte Hornets — was under investigation for activity related to unusual betting patterns surrounding him in a March 2023 game. Now with the Miami Heat, Rozier hasn’t been charged with any crime or faced sanctions from the NBA.
A ban on sports gambling was shot down in 2018, which opened the door for states to legalize betting. Each professional legal has their own set of gambling policies, but there have been several instances of problems across the sports world — from Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter to year-long NFL suspensions.
Pistons’ Malik Beasley under federal investigation for NBA gambling allegations
Beasley, 28, is set to be a free agent on Monday after a breakout season with the Pistons.
Another professional athlete could be in trouble over sports betting.
Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is under investigated by the U.S. District Attorney’s office over gambling allegations for NBA games, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Sunday.
“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
SIGN UP HERE Beasley, 28, is set to be a free agent on Monday after a breakout season with the Pistons. He averaged 16.2 points and didn’t miss a single game for Detroit, which had a drastic turnaround with Beasley leading the second unit.
Over nine NBA seasons since being drafted in 2016, Beasley has played for the Denver Nuggets (2016-20), Minnesota Timberwolves (2020-22), Utah Jazz (2022-23), Los Angeles Lakers (2023), Milwaukee Bucks (2023-24) and Pistons (2024-25). In 2021, he was sentenced to 120 days in jail over a felony charge of threats of violence and was eventually suspended for 12 games by the NBA.
Charania reported that Beasley and the Pistons were in “serious talks” on a three-year, $42 million contract to bring him back to Detroit. Those talks reportedly are on pause as the investigation takes place, but Beasley is free to negotiate with other teams starting Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
“An investigation is not a charge,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney told ESPN. “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.”
The probe into Beasley comes more than a year after Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA over prop bet investigations. He eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud, with sentencing set for this December as prosecutors estimate he could get up to four years in prison.
This past season, Terry Rozier — then of the Charlotte Hornets — was under investigation for activity related to unusual betting patterns surrounding him in a March 2023 game. Now with the Miami Heat, Rozier hasn’t been charged with any crime or faced sanctions from the NBA.
A ban on sports gambling was shot down in 2018, which opened the door for states to legalize betting. Each professional legal has their own set of gambling policies, but there have been several instances of problems across the sports world — from Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter to year-long NFL suspensions.
