The Milwaukee Bucks have a direct tie to the NBA’s latest gambling scandal following the arrest of former guard Malik Beasley, who played for the Bucks for 1 season in 2023-24.
“Malik Beasley and Ed Davis, both former NBA players, have been indicted on sports gambling charges by federal prosecutors,” The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov wrote on X on Monday. “DOJ says Beasley agreed to manipulate his play during a Jan. 26, 2024 game while with the Bucks, and worked with Davis.”
Beasley averaged 11.3 points and shot 41.3 percent on 3-pointers in his lone season with the Bucks.
Beasley’s Arrest Came After Year-Long Investigation
Beasley’s arrest came after a years-long federal investigation that saw him not play in 2025-26 after averaging 16.3 points and playing in a career-high 82 games for the Detroit Pistons in 2024-25.
“The legal cloud had already cost him more than most people realize,” Heavy’s Jayesh Pagar wrote on June 29. “Coming off a breakout 2024-25 season with Detroit, Beasley averaged 16.3 points in all 82 games and set a Pistons franchise record with 319 made threes. He was in line for a three-year, $42 million deal to stay in Detroit before the investigation froze everything. No NBA team would touch him. Earlier in 2026, he signed with the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico just to keep playing, before being released in May.”
Drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Beasley has approximately $59.9 million in career earnings. He’s also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Utah Jazz.
How Malik Beasley Performed in 2024 Games
The 2024 game in question was a 112-100 Bucks loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which Beasley started but scored just 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting in 27 minutes.
“Prosecutors also allege Beasley rigged his performance during a Bucks-Charlotte Hornets game on Feb. 27, 2024; a March 10, 2024 game against the LA Clippers; and a March 21, 2024 game against the Brooklyn Nets,” Vorkunov wrote on June 29. “The bettors wagered on Beasley to hit the ‘over’ prop bet on his rebounds against the Clippers, then celebrated when he collected his fourth rebound in the game’s final seconds, according to the indictment. The scheme went awry, according to prosecutors, after Beasley could not hit the ‘under’ on his rebounds against the Nets.”
Beasley is the 2nd NBA guard arrested in the last year for fixing games following Terry Rozier’s arrest in October 2025. Rozier was arrested along with former NBA point guard, 2004 NBA Finals MVP and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups in a wide-ranging federal investigation into sports betting and gambling
“Rozier allegedly informed co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would remove himself from a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury,” ESPN’s David Purdum wrote in May 2026. “Laster shared the information with multiple bettors, who then placed more than $258,700 in wagers on the under on Rozier’s various statistics, according to the indictment. Rozier played just over nine minutes before coming out of the game. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, resulting in most of the bets winning. Rozier agreed to reduce the alleged bribe to $70,000 after the game because his four rebounds caused some of the bets to lose, according to the indictment.”
Feds Allege Malik Beasley Fixed Games Playing for Bucks in 2024