Two former NBA players, Malik Beasley and Ed Davis, have been named alongside four co-conspirators in an alleged scheme to make the 29-year-old player manipulate his in-game activity so that they can profit through betting on him, for which they already had inside information from him.
Malik Beasley, who last played for the Detroit Pistons, has been accused of throwing multiple games during the 2023-24 season when he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has been accused of conspiring to profit by illegally manipulating his game with Davis and at least four other men, including Davis’ former agent, Paolo Zamorano.
“As alleged, Beasley, then a player for the Milwaukee Bucks, agreed with his former NBA teammate Davis (known to the other co-defendants as Beasley’s “gatekeeper”) in advance of NBA games that Beasley would underperform, and at times overperform, relative to one or more of his betting statistics in those games,” the press release from the FBI read.
“Davis, Brown, Gorodetsky, Plascencia, Zamorano and other co-conspirators subsequently used this non-public information relating to Beasley’s intended performance to place fraudulent wagers conditioned on Beasley’s performance in the games at issue, all with the intention of profiting off the scheme.”
“As further alleged, in return for performance fixing, Beasley received bribes from the co-conspirators, typically by having Beasley’s gambling debts to Davis reduced or paid off.”
Subsequently, the FBI’s Assistant Director in Charge, James C. Barnacle, also released a strong statement on the incident.
“These defendants allegedly operated an illegal betting ring in an attempt to unlawfully earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. As alleged, Malik Beasley allowed himself to be bought and altered his game time performance to line the pockets of Ed Davis and his other co-conspirators.”
“The FBI continues to dismantle fraudulent schemes that erode the integrity of any institution, including our nation’s professional sports leagues,” he stated.
The press release also mentioned the examples of some games where Beasley has been accused of intentionally altering his activity so that his co-conspirators could profit outside of the court.
1. Bucks vs. Cavaliers, January 26, 2024: Accused of illegally betting under on his rebounds as he allegedly intentionally planned to underperform on the boards.
2. Bucks vs. Hornets, February 27, 2024: Accused of intentionally underperforming on points and overperforming on rebounds.
3. Bucks vs. Clippers, March 10, 2024: Accused of intentionally overperforming on rebounds.
The prosecutors allege that Davis and Beasley became friends when they played together on the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was Ed Davis who allegedly convinced Malik Beasley to do this to settle his own debts.
Subsequently, a further dive into the official indictment papers also showed details of the conversations between the two players and the alleged co-conspirators.
This was the initial conversation between Beasley and Davis, which was followed by a message from their group chat where the co-conspirators were seen celebrating after Beasley nearly messed up their alleged plans during a game.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictment unsealed today involving Malik Beasley and Ed Davis,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said on the issue. “Beasley last played in the NBA during the 2024-25 season, and Davis last played in the league during the 2021-22 season.”
“We will continue to investigate this matter and cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Consequently, Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, made a statement that they will vigorously review and fight this indictment and maintained that his client is innocent.
Until last summer, Beasley believed he was exonerated from this matter and sought to resume his NBA career. But it was later clarified that Beasley was not totally free just yet. But this is not the first time Beasley has found himself in trouble.
Despite earning roughly $60 million during his NBA career, he has a history of debt and financial difficulties. In 2025, Beasley’s former agency sued him for over $2.5 million, claiming he violated their contract. This spring, after Beasley failed to respond to them, a judge declared that the agency had won the case by default.
In 2021, he obtained a $4.53 million loan with a 12 percent interest rate. The loan provider, South River Capital, sued him for the sum plus an additional $1.3 million in fees less than a year later. So Beasley’s troubled financial history is not making a compelling case for him.
Beasley and Davis are the fourth and fifth NBA players who have been accused of involvement in illegal gambling schemes across the league in the last 12 months. Earlier, Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones, all of whom are former NBA players, were also involved in a gambling probe into the league.
Such activities ruin the truly competitive nature of sports and hurt the integrity of the game. Hopefully, all guilty parties are given the appropriate justice in this matter.
