‘Threw It All Away to Make Extra Pennies,’ ‘It’s Over’ – NBA Fans React as Malik Beasley Is Set to Agree Plea Deal In Gambling Scandal
· Yahoo Sports
Malik Beasley will plead guilty on Dec. 9 to federal charges over his role in a bribery and betting scheme tied to his own NBA play, his attorney Steve Haney told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.
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The former guard, who played for six NBA teams over a nine-year career, was indicted in June along with former NBA player Ed Davis. Fans were quick to react to the news.
NBA Fans Weigh In on Malik Beasley’s Guilty Plea in Gambling Scandal
Prosecutors allege that Beasley, 29, deliberately altered his own stat lines in at least four games for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023-24 so bettors could cash in on his performances.
One of those games came against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 26, when prosecutors allege Beasley told Davis he intended to underperform his rebounding line. Beasley finished with three rebounds and three points in the loss.
The indictment says the co-defendants Beasley worked with targeted games that lacked national TV coverage, while Beasley chose whether his points and rebounds would land low or high.
At first, Beasley pleaded not guilty to the federal counts, which include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, and bribery in connection with sporting contests.
Late Friday, the presiding judge asked a federal magistrate in Brooklyn to set a change-of-plea hearing for Beasley. An overnight docket notice showed he intended to plead guilty. Tuesday’s report put a date on it.
One fan looked back at Beasley’s last season in the league, writing: “Malik Beasley made the second most 3s in 2024-2025 season and was up for a big contract but threw it all away to make extra pennies.”
Beasley made 319 3-pointers for the Detroit Pistons that season, a franchise record and one behind Anthony Edwards’ league-leading 320, while playing all 82 games. Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game and finished second to the Boston Celtics’ Payton Pritchard in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
He had signed a one-year deal worth more than $6 million with the Pistons in July 2024, which put him back on the market the next summer. The federal gambling investigation and an NBA investigation into Beasley interrupted that free agency.
He went unsigned and has not played in the NBA since. He signed with Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros de Santurce in February 2026 and averaged 18.4 points in 17 games before his release on May 11. He is not on an NBA roster this season.
The indictment says Beasley, despite tens of millions of dollars in career earnings, had run up “multimillion-dollar gambling losses” by the time he joined the alleged scheme.
Another fan replied to Charania’s post: “It’s over bro.”
“This is insane!” another fan replied to Charania.
Another fan looked ahead to the legal stakes, writing: “Yeah bro is not gonna see daylight ever again.”
Another fan pointed out Beasley’s memory before all the drama. “Him in a full sprint with the ball down the court while trying to hit his own over will be my lasting memory of Malik Beasley,” the user wrote.
Beasley has not entered the plea yet. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York have alleged that Davis, Beasley’s former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate who was out of the league at the time, served as Beasley’s alleged “gatekeeper.” The two were among six men indicted.
Davis has pleaded not guilty, as has Paolo Zamorano, who was Davis’ agent. The other three defendants have pleaded guilty or are set to do so. Beasley’s own plea is now six weeks away.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.