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Read Full BioMalik Beasley remains without a team as the NBA season gets underway, and despite not being implicated in the recent scandal, he could remain in limbo for the foreseeable future.
The player took to Instagram on Tuesday to highlight his frustration at the situation. He wrote, “I truly want to just hoop.. no training camp to build chemistry off of the season we just had, 42 mil gone, jersey # gone, defamation, a divorce, lost my shoe deal, and at that I can’t even explain anything yet.. oh and don’t let me sign and have one bad game the rest of my career .. lord knows the threats I might receive there.”
In the post, Beasley also did not mention that he was evicted from his Detroit apartment and is being sued by his former agency. His life has been plunged into turmoil, despite no indication that he faces any criminal charges.
As news of Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones’ arrests broke last week, Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, emphasized that his client has not been implicated.
Haney stated, “I want to make this perfectly clear any avoidance Malik Beasley has in connection with today’s developments in the federal gambling arrests has no relationship whatsoever to any alleged or accused cooperation or information provided to the eastern district of New York. Malik has not and will not cooperate with any pending federal investigations.”
In August, Haney similarly noted, “Malik is not charged, not indicted and not a target of the investigation, but he’s unemployed because of it.”
He remains unemployed as the NBA deals with the fallout from one of the biggest sports betting scandals since the PASPA ruling paved the way for legal wagering in the US. Will any team be willing to take a gamble on a player who is said to be still under investigation? It seems unlikely.
In his Instagram post, Beasley added, “I can’t sit here and cry about it. S*** it only made me stronger. So All love. My head is up, when the time comes I’ll be ready. I’ll be thankful and extremely happy.”
Suspicious Bets on Beasley Highlighted By Sportsbooks
In June, it was revealed that Beasley was under investigation over suspicious betting activity on his prop markets when playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
A surge of bets went on Beasley to record fewer than 2.5 rebounds in a match against Chauncey Billups’ Portland Trail Blazers in January 2024. The odds on the “unders” moved significantly, from around +120 to around -250. However, Beasley went on to record six rebounds in the match. This means that the flurry of bets would have all lost and would appear to exonerate Beasley.
Haney stressed, “An investigation is not a charge. Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the US Constitution. As of now, he has not been charged with anything.”
While not a charge, news of the investigation derailed contract talks with the Detroit Pistons, and Beasley became a free agent. The Pistons were set to offer the 28-year-old a $42 million deal over three years, following a standout season in which he made over 300 3-pointers. Beasley also finished as runner-up in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging over 16 points per game.
In addition to not being offered the $42 million contract, Beasley has also lost lucrative sponsorship deals. For context, the rigged poker games are said to have generated $7 million for a large criminal group comprising mobsters, poker players, and former NBA players. Chauncey Billups reportedly received just $50,000 to participate in one of the rigged games.
Billups has been placed on leave, and it appears unlikely that he will be able to return to his $4.7 million a year contract as a result of the scandal. Although only named in the rigged poker indictment, Billups is also accused of giving information to bettors that several Portland players would sit out a game against the Bulls in March 2023. The betting syndicate wagered heavily on Chicago, which won the game.
Law Enforcement Revels in Success
There appears to be little sympathy for Beasley, whose career has been derailed. While he may yet be proven guilty, it is also possible that he had no knowledge of bets being placed on his markets and was not complicit.
While announcing the arrests of Rozier, Billups, and Jones, among others, authorities took noticeable glee. Attorney Joseph Nocella stated that these are only allegations and that the defendants are innocent until proven guilty.
He then took pleasure in a seemingly rehearsed line, stating, “Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that.”
In a subsequent press release, others joined Nocella in gloating. New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch, stated, “Thanks to the incredible work of the NYPD detectives and our partners at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this illegal sports betting operation has been benched for good.”
Specifically of Rozier, Tisch also said, “As the NBA season tips off, his career is already benched. Not for injury, but for integrity.“
Is There More to the Investigation?
There has been no indication that any other games had suspicious betting on Beasley. He was, however, involved in one game highlighted in the indictment against Terry Rozier and Damon Jones.
Jones was working as an unofficial coach for the Lakers at the same time Beasley was on the team’s roster. The coach allegedly fed information to bettors that Lebron James was due to sit out a game against the Bucks on February 9, 2023.
The coach texted a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight” because James was going to be out. Milwaukee beat the Lakers 115-106. Beasley also sat the game out.
A total of seven games were highlighted in the indictment, but it may emerge that many more contests involved insider information being fed to bettors. One of those indicted, Marves Fairley, ran a paid subscription tipping service called Vezino Locks for years. Fairley has also been named as the main suspect in an investigation into suspicious bets in NCAA basketball games.
Further evidence may surface that connects Beasley to the scandal, but for now, the player remains without a club after his best season to date.
