NBA player Malik Beasley is under federal investigation for allegedly participating in gambling activities related to NBA games. The investigation is led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, focusing on Beasley's betting activities during the 2023-24 season while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
As of now, Beasley has not been formally charged. His lawyer, Steve Haney, stated that Beasley is actively cooperating with the investigation and emphasized that "he still enjoys the right to be presumed innocent." NBA spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed that the league is fully cooperating with the federal investigation, while the Detroit Pistons, where Beasley most recently played, have remained silent and refused to comment.
It is reported that Beasley had previously discussed a three-year contract worth $42 million with the Pistons, but negotiations have currently been paused.
It is worth noting that this is not Beasley's first legal issue. In 2020, he was suspended for 12 games by the NBA for making violent threats and served a sentence after the 2020-21 season ended. Recently, the NBA has been increasingly strict in regulating sports betting and player integrity, especially against the backdrop of rapidly growing prop bets, drawing more attention to such incidents.
Meanwhile, former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been banned by the NBA for leaking confidential information to gamblers and placing bets himself. The NBA is intensifying efforts to maintain the fairness of the games and ensure the integrity of the matches is not compromised.
