Malik Beasley bet on his own performance during his time with Milwaukee Bucks, federal indictment says

Former Milwaukee Bucks player Malik Beasley was indicted in federal court on Monday, accused of manipulating his performance on several occasions during the 2023-24 season.

The 29-year-old is one of six defendants in the New York case, which includes former NBA player Ed Davis. 

According to a federal indictment, the men played a role in a scheme to bribe Beasley to manipulate his performance in NBA games and use inside information about his performance to profit via illegal betting activity. 

Prosecutors identified four games in which they allege Beasley illegally bet on his own performance while with the Bucks in 2024: against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 26, the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 27, the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, and the Brooklyn Nets on March 21. According to the filing, bettors wagered on Beasley to go over his rebounds total in one game — a bet that cashed when he grabbed a rebound in the closing seconds. In another game, bettors backed the under on his rebounds total, but Beasley exceeded the line, causing those wagers to lose.

Beasley is set to voluntarily turn himself in by Wednesday, according to the Detroit News, which previously reported that Beasley has escalating financial problems. 

Beasley was close to signing a multi-year deal to rejoin the Detroit Pistons last summer after his crucial contributions during the 2024-25 season. The Pistons had to withdraw their offer when the investigation came to light.

“I am in receipt of the indictment from the Department of Justice. They’ve allowed us to coordinate the surrender of Malik by Wednesday,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney said in a statement to The Detroit News. “We will be receiving more information and look forward to vigorously defending Malik against any of these charges.”

Haney continued: “Malik is very disappointed. He was anticipating potentially signing with a team this week in free agency, and now, this is obviously going to be a barrier.”

The NBA banned former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life in April 2024 for gambling on his own performance. He pled guilty to a federal charge and is estimated to be sentenced to three to five years of incarceration at an upcoming sentencing hearing.