Ex-NBA Players Malik Beasley And Ed Davis Charged In Federal Gambling Case
Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis and four others were indicted in a federal gambling case Monday.
“An indictment is not proof of guilt or evidence. It is merely a charge of probable cause,” Beasley’s attorney said in a statement to ESPN. “The investigation was a year and a half long, and we maintain Malik’s innocence of all charges.”
The indictment claims that Beasley lost millions gambling during his nine-year NBA career, which ended in 2025 and included stints with the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons. He currently plays for the Puerto Rican team Cangrejeros de Santurce in a pan-American league.
Beasley allegedly manipulated his stats in at least four games in coordination with Davis, who worked with multiple co-conspirators to place bets on Beasley’s performance. In return, Beasley received bribes from co-conspirators, which he used to pay off his debts to Davis.
The indictment details a series of wagers totaling more than $75,000, with net winnings of at least $121,000, according to an ESPN analysis. (Related: NFL Bettor Shows The Biggest Problem Behind Sports Gambling That No One’s Talking About)
Davis and Beasley were teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2020-21 season, and the scheme allegedly began in 2023, when Davis texted Beasley that the “Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” to which Beasley responded that he was “Trying to find like [$2,000].” Davis then asked Beasley to reach out to him on the disappearing message app Snapchat, promising his former teammate that they could “make some good money.”
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News of the investigation broke last June as Beasley was negotiating a new $42 million deal with the Detroit Pistons. Beasley has earned nearly $60 million throughout his NBA career.
“We are aware of the indictment and are working to ensure that appropriate due process rights are protected and that the integrity of the game is upheld,” the National Basketball Players Association told ESPN in a statement.
The NBA has been struggling to keep players out of gambling schemes since a Supreme Court decision legalized sports betting nationwide in 2018.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said the FBI will continue “to dismantle fraudulent schemes that erode the integrity of any institution, including our nation’s professional sports leagues,” according to a Justice Department press release announcing the indictments.
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