Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis were indicted Monday on federal charges for allegedly fixing Beasley's on-court performance to win sports bets—another case of millionaire athletes gaming the system while working Americans foot the bill for the league's entertainment economy.
The indictment lays out a scheme that strikes at the heart of a sports-betting industry exploded by the Supreme Court's 2018 decision to legalize wagering nationwide. Beasley, who earned nearly $60 million over a nine-year NBA career, allegedly manipulated his stats in at least four games during the 2023-24 season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Davis, his former Timberwolves teammate, coordinated with co-conspirators to place the bets and kick back bribes to Beasley, which the forward used to pay off mounting gambling debts. According to an ESPN analysis cited by the Daily Caller, the wagers totaled more than $75,000 and generated net winnings of at least $121,000.
The alleged scheme was born in plain sight. According to the Daily Caller, Davis texted Beasley in 2023: "Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting." Beasley replied he was "Trying to find like [$2,000]." Davis then moved the conversation to Snapchat—the disappearing-message app—telling Beasley they could "make some good money." Breitbart reports the pair face charges of sports bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney, pushed back. "An indictment is not proof of guilt or evidence. It is merely a charge of probable cause," he said in a statement to ESPN. "The investigation was a year and a half long, and we maintain Malik's innocence of all charges." Haney also claims Beasley is fully cooperating with investigators—a shift from last year, when he told the press his client was no longer a target in the federal probe.
The NBA launched its own investigation after unusual betting activity was flagged to league officials. If the league acts, Breitbart reports, Beasley could face a lifetime ban from professional basketball. The National Basketball Players Association issued a careful statement saying it is "working to ensure that appropriate due process rights are protected and that the integrity of the game is upheld."
FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said the bureau 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.
Beasley last played in the NBA during the 2025 season with the Detroit Pistons. News of the federal investigation broke last June while he was negotiating a new $42 million contract with Detroit, according to the Daily Caller. He now plays for the Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico's Baloncesto Superior Nacional league.
The league that sells fans on the authenticity of competition, the players' union that shields its members, and a gambling industry unleashed by the highest court in the land—all now share the same table. The question is who picks up the check when the game is rigged.
