Malik Beasley

Introduction

Malik Beasley is a veteran NBA guard who played nine seasons for the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Jazz, Lakers, Bucks and Pistons, finishing second in 2024-25 Sixth Man of the Year voting. On October 27, 2026, his attorney confirmed to multiple outlets that Beasley had agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in a sports-gambling case that accuses him of manipulating his own on-court performance so bettors could win — an about-face from the not-guilty plea he entered after his June indictment. He is set to formally change his plea on December 9, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court.

Background Information

Beasley was a first-round draft pick by Denver in 2016 out of Florida State and bounced between the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Jazz, Lakers, Bucks and Pistons, closing his NBA run with Detroit in 2024-25, when he averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. His career earnings sit just shy of $60 million. He was arrested earlier this summer and indicted in June 2026, and was reportedly in talks to return to Detroit on a three-year, $42 million contract before the federal gambling probe became public; instead he played earlier this year for the Santurce Crabbers, a team owned by Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged; guilty plea agreed, not yet entered. Malik Beasley was indicted June 29, 2026 on counts including bribery in sporting contests, wire-fraud conspiracy, honest-services wire-fraud conspiracy and money-laundering conspiracy over an alleged scheme to manipulate his own performances so bettors could win prop bets. He pleaded not guilty on July 1, 2026; in late October 2026 his attorney confirmed he had agreed to plead guilty, with the plea to be formally entered December 9, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court. The indictment remains an accusation until a plea is entered and the case is adjudicated, and no sentencing has occurred.

Prosecutors allege Beasley worked with bettors — including former NBA player Ed Davis, his former Timberwolves teammate, and other named co-conspirators — to manipulate his own performance in at least four games during the 2023-24 season with Milwaukee, in an effort to pare down millions of dollars in gambling debts; Davis had loaned Beasley money, and the group allegedly wagered tens of thousands of dollars on games Beasley played in, including one against Cleveland. The indictment cites text messages in which co-defendants celebrated when Beasley shoved a teammate out of the way to go over his rebounding prop with 1.1 seconds left in a March 10 game against the Clippers; the scheme reportedly fell apart when he went over his rebounding prop in a March 21 game against Brooklyn, prompting co-defendants to demand Davis refund their money.

Beasley initially denied involvement through his attorney. Steve Haney said in a June statement: “An indictment is nothing but a probable cause one-sided charging document. It is not evidence and Malik maintains his presumption of innocence throughout this two-year investigation. We ask that people reserve judgment until all the facts are known.” Beasley pleaded not guilty on July 1, but in recent days was negotiating a plea agreement with the Department of Justice, and on October 27 Haney confirmed to The Athletic and ESPN that his client had agreed to plead guilty, with the specifics of which charges he will plead to not disclosed.

The case sits inside a wider federal crackdown on NBA gambling: Jontay Porter was banned for life by the league in 2024 for limiting his participation in a game as part of a betting scheme and betting on NBA games, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2025 — making Beasley the second NBA player to agree to a guilty plea in the scandal. Terry Rozier, accused of removing himself from a game as part of a betting scheme, has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial in February, while Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were arrested in related cases.

Public Reaction and Consequences

News of the plea agreement broke October 27 through The Athletic and ESPN — Beasley’s attorney confirmed it to both — and spread the same day across CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and other outlets, with the New York Post framing the reversal as an “about-face” when it covered the story the next morning.

The professional consequences had already landed before the plea: the reported three-year, $42 million return to Detroit evaporated when the federal probe surfaced, and Beasley has not played in the NBA since the 2024-25 season, dropping instead to a Puerto Rican league club owned by Bad Bunny. The league’s precedent in the parallel Jontay Porter case — a lifetime ban for manipulating participation in games around bets — hangs over Beasley’s case as sentencing and any potential NBA discipline approach.

Current Status

As of October 28, 2026, Beasley’s attorney has confirmed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, with the formal change of plea scheduled for December 9, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court; the specific counts he will plead guilty to have not been disclosed, no sentencing date has been set, and the charges remain accusations until the plea is entered. No NBA discipline of Beasley had been announced as of the agreement’s disclosure, and he remains unsigned, having last played in the league for Detroit in 2024-25 before appearing for the Santurce Crabbers in Puerto Rico earlier this year.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Beasley went from a reported $42 million contract negotiation to a federal defendant whose own attorney now says he will admit guilt in a case accusing him of selling his performance to bettors — a collapse for a player months removed from a top-two Sixth Man finish. The plea makes him the second NBA player to agree to plead guilty in the league’s gambling scandal, after Jontay Porter, and leaves his playing future hostage to December’s plea hearing, potential sentencing, and whatever discipline the NBA chooses to apply.

Sources

NY Post, “Malik Beasley agrees to plead guilty for role in gambling scandal,” published October 28, 2026 — source
CBS Sports, “Ex-NBA player Malik Beasley agrees to plea deal with Department of Justice in illegal sports betting case,” published October 27, 2026 — source
Yahoo Sports, “Ex-NBA guard Malik Beasley to plead guilty after involvement in gambling scheme,” published October 27, 2026 — source
NY Post on X, “Malik Beasley agrees to plead guilty for role in gambling scandal in about-face,” October 28, 2026 — source