Ex-NBA player Malik Beasley agrees to plea deal with Department of Justice in illegal sports betting case — SkimNews
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- Malik Beasley agreed with Department of Justice lawyers to enter a guilty plea in New York on Dec. 9, confirmed by his attorney Steve Haney on Tuesday, though the specific charges and deal terms are not known.
- Beasley was indicted on June 29 for allegedly manipulating his own statistics in multiple games of the 2023-24 season so bettors could win prop bets.
- Ed Davis and four other named co-conspirators allegedly worked with Beasley on the scheme, which prosecutors described as an effort to pay off millions of dollars in gambling debts.
- Text messages obtained from co-defendants celebrated Beasley shoving a teammate out of the way to go over his rebounding prop with 1.1 seconds left in the March 10 game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
- Brooklyn Nets game on March 21 — the scheme fell apart when Beasley went over his rebounding prop, prompting co-defendants to demand that Davis refund their money.
- Beasley initially denied involvement through his lawyer and pleaded not guilty to bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
- Jontay Porter pleaded guilty in 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a similar gambling ring, making Beasley the second NBA player to enter a guilty plea.
Why it matters: Beasley moves from a not-guilty defense on bribery in sporting contests and three conspiracy counts to a guilty plea on unspecified charges at his Dec. 9 New York hearing, making him the second NBA player to plead guilty in the gambling cases after Jontay Porter's 2025 wire-fraud guilty plea. No terms, sentence or penalties were disclosed.
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