Malik Beasley is now facing federal charges in an alleged NBA betting scheme, adding another explosive chapter to the league’s growing gambling crisis as prosecutors continue digging into players, insiders, agents, and bettors accused of turning private game information into major money.
According to the Associated Press, Beasley and former NBA player Ed Davis were indicted in Brooklyn as part of the latest round of charges tied to a federal gambling investigation. Prosecutors allege that while Beasley was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024, he agreed to alter his play based on betting trends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York accused Beasley of being bribed to “fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers.”
The indictment names six defendants: Beasley, Davis, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and Paolo Zamorano, who prosecutors described as a current NBA player agent. All six are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement reported by the AP, “Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a current NBA player agent who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public.”
The case marks a sharp turn for Beasley, whose name had already been tied to gambling concerns before. In 2025, ESPN reported that Beasley’s attorneys said he was no longer a target of a federal gambling probe, with attorney Steve Haney saying, “Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation.” Haney added, “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
That presumption still matters now. Beasley and the other defendants are accused, not convicted, and the case will have to play out in court. But the optics are already loud. Beasley was previously in line for a reported three-year, $42 million deal with the Detroit Pistons before the investigation froze his market. He later signed to play in Puerto Rico with Cangrejeros de Santurce, the Bad Bunny-owned team.
The Beasley indictment lands as the NBA is still dealing with fallout from Jontay Porter, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones, and Chauncey Billups-related gambling cases. Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA in 2024 after the league said he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in games for betting purposes, and bet on NBA games. Porter later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, telling the court, “I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” per Spectrum News.
Then came Terry Rozier. Prosecutors allege Rozier tipped off others that he would leave a March 2023 Charlotte Hornets game early, allowing bettors to hammer the under on his player props. Rozier has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for February 2027, according to Courthouse News. His attorney, Jim Trusty, blasted the league outside court, saying, “The NBA literally has flagrantly fouled the presumption of innocence. They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Damon Jones, meanwhile, became the first person in the broader NBA gambling sweep to plead guilty. According to ESPN, Jones admitted he used “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player” and apologized, saying, “I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association.” He also admitted knowing high-stakes poker games were rigged, saying, “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.”
The poker side of the scandal has also pulled in Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who pleaded not guilty in a separate case accusing him of helping lure victims into rigged poker games involving alleged organized crime connections.
The bigger issue is that sports betting has become part of the everyday fan experience since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision opened the door for states to legalize and regulate sports wagering, as explained by the American Gaming Association. But with player props, injury information, and live betting now moving fast, prosecutors are making it clear that athletes and insiders accused of manipulating performance or leaking private information are not just risking a fine or suspension. They could be risking their freedom.
For the NBA, this is no longer just one bad headline. It is a full-blown integrity test.
