Report: Malik Beasley no longer subject of federal gambling investigation

Former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley is no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation conducted by the Eastern District of New York, ESPN’s Sham Charania reported Friday morning. The investigation related to possible betting on NBA games and prop bets.

Beasley has been in the NBA since 2016 when he was a first round pick of the Denver Nuggets. That came following his college career with the Florida State Seminoles. He has since played for six different NBA teams, the most recent of which was the Detroit Pistons.

Last season with Detroit, Beasley averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. It was the second highest average point total he’d put together for a season in his career, trailing only the 2020-21 season that he played with the Minnesota Timberwolves and averaged 19.6 points. Along the way, he helped Detroit make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. 

That had, hopefully, been setting him up to earn a good contract this offseason. However, with the investigation, his future in the NBA came to a screeching halt. With Beasley being cleared however, expect him to latch on with a team quickly.

A spokesman for the NBA, Mike Bass, shared a brief comment on the investigation back in June. Bass said, “We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation.”

Beasley isn’t the lone NBA player to deal with gambling investigation

This isn’t the first time since gambling has become legalized that a player has found themselves involved in an investigation regarding gambling. Ex-NBA player Jontay Porter was involved in his own gambling investigation. In his case, the news of the investigation broke in March of 2024. By April, the NBA issued a lifetime ban of Porter. 

Porter has since faced legal charges over his gambling. He would plead guilty in July of 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In his case, it was found that he, “disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.” 

He would place at least 13 bets $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965. That included betting against his own team.

While Porter was found guilty, Beasley will now be free to continue his NBA career.

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.