Malik Beasley Agrees to Plead Guilty in Betting Case

Former NBA player Malik Beasley has dropped his challenge to federal charges against him and agreed to plead guilty, following negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice. According to The Athletic, which reported on Saturday, the 29-year-old guard reached this decision after ongoing talks that followed the latest charges filed against him this summer.

The case is part of a broad investigation in which six people are charged with conspiracy to bribe sports competitions, wire fraud, and money laundering. The investigation documents were made public on June 29.

According to prosecutors, everything began when Beasley built up millions of dollars in gambling debts owed to his former teammate Ed Davis. To clear this debt, Beasley allegedly agreed to manipulate his on-court performance during the 2023-24 season, when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. Court documents state that other members of the group used inside information to place large bets at various betting sites that Beasley would fall below certain statistical thresholds.

Officials investigating the case identified four games in early 2024 in which the manipulation took place. However, the betting plan fell apart when Beasley exceeded his targeted rebound limit in a game against the Brooklyn Nets.