Malik Beasley under gambling investigation by U.S. District Attorney – The Athletic – The New York Times

NBA
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has opened a federal investigation into free-agent guard Malik Beasley related to gambling, his lawyer, Steve Haney, confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday.
Haney said that Beasley, who spent last season with the Detroit Pistons, is a person of interest in the investigation, but that no formal allegations had been made and no charges filed.
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“This is simply an investigation,” Haney said. “At this point, Malik has not been charged with any crime and there has been no formal accusation of wrongdoing. Hopefully everyone will afford him that same presumption of innocence that everyone else deserves.”
A spokesman for the Eastern District declined to comment, as did Beasley’s agent. A spokesperson for the Pistons confirmed the existence of a federal investigation but deferred further comment to the NBA.
“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. The investigation was first reported by ESPN.
Six people have been charged by the Eastern District with conspiracy to defraud a sports betting company for their roles in an alleged scheme involving Toronto Raptors guard Jontay Porter. Four people have pleaded guilty, including Porter, who pleaded to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
Porter was banned from the NBA last April after the league said he bet on games and shared inside information with gamblers. Haney said it was not clear if the investigation into Beasley was related to the case involving Porter.
Beasley signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Detroit ahead of last season. He is about to become an unrestricted free agent.
After the conclusion of the postseason, NBA teams are allowed to begin negotiating with players on their team set to hit free agency. A league source told The Athletic last week that Beasley and the Pistons had begun conversations about his return to the team.
Beasley was Detroit’s best 3-point shooter last season, making a career-high 319 3’s on 41.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc. His long-range prowess kept defenders honest and helped provide Cade Cunningham with more spacing than he’d previously been afforded in his young career.
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Beasley averaged 16.3 points on 43 percent shooting, with 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in his lone season with the Pistons. Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards (320) was the only player in the NBA to make more 3s than Beasley during 2024-25. Over his nine-year career, Beasley has averaged 11.7 points per game.
(Photo: Rick Osentoski / Imagn Images)

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