NBA launches investigation into gambling allegations against Malik Beasley amid federal probe

The NBA is in the midst of an investigation into Malik Beasley over gambling allegations that put him at the center of a federal investigation into irregular prop bet activity, the league confirmed to CBS Sports. 

Beasley’s attorneys previously stated the guard was no longer the “target” of the federal probe, but he has yet to be fully cleared as a “subject” of that investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York. As a result of the ongoing federal investigation and the league’s own look into the allegations, Beasley’s efforts to find a new team in free agency remain in a holding pattern.

The investigations into Beasley regard irregular prop betting activity on rebounding props for a game in January 2024 when Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. A sportsbook noted a surge in betting activity on Beasley’s rebounding prop for that night of under 2.5 rebounds. Beasley recorded six rebounds that game and those bets lost, but the activity on the prop was notable enough to raise red flags. 

Beasley’s financial problems and lawsuits for unpaid debts were uncovered during this investigation and many connected that to the gambling probe. The league will want to find out if Beasley was in contact with any of the gamblers that placed bets on his props in a similar manner to what got Jontay Porter banned from the league. 

Beasley will hope his name will be cleared before the start of the 2025-26 season so he can sign with a team as a free agent. He was nearing a three-year, $42 million deal to return to the Pistons before news of the investigation broke and that deal was scuttled.