Former NBA Player Malik Beasley Reaches Plea Deal in Betting Scandal

Former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley has pleaded guilty to federal charges after being accused of manipulating his play during NBA games as part of a betting scheme. 

This admission comes about four months after he initially pleaded not guilty. 

According to Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney, Beasley, 29, has reached a plea agreement, but the terms haven't been disclosed. He pleaded not guilty in July, but when he arrives in court on December 9 in Brooklyn, New York, he's expected to plead guilty. In all, four charges involve manipulating his play during the 2023-24 season through prop bets. 

NBA Betting Scandals Lead to New Player Prop Restrictions

The NBA has recently banned additional player props, including unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes. 

Beasley's admission comes after other cases involving NBA players, such as Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier. Those players were involved in a scheme in which people placed wagers while having advanced knowledge of their limited playing time. Porter admitted to manipulating his playing time so those unders would hit, including one parlay with six under wagers at $80,000 that would've paid out $1.1 million. The same thing happened with Rozier, who played just nine minutes during a March 2023 game. Rozier has pleaded not guilty. 

The NBA also partners with prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, so it could enforce more, along with its sports betting partners. 

Additionally, the NBA is enhancing its AI-based monitoring system to detect suspicious activity, and it has updated its fan code of conduct to include language about fans harassing athletes over gambling. 

Malik Beasley Faces Federal Charges Over Alleged Betting Scheme

Back to Beasley, the indictment states that Beasley had millions of dollars in gambling losses. This led him to alter his play or provide advance information. In June, he was indicted alongside Ed Davis on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Co-defendant William Brown pleaded guilty earlier this month, while others, Robert Gorodetsky and Ernesto Plascencia, are expected to do so soon as well. For now, Davis and former NBA agent Paolo Zamorano have pleaded not guilty. 

This all comes after Beasley averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists during the 2024-25 season with the Detroit Pistons, arguably his best season since 2020-21 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Beasley was also set to sign a new $42 million deal before the charges came down.