Key Takeaways
- Former NBA player Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty in his federal sports betting case, his attorney told ESPN.
- Beasley is scheduled to change his plea at a Dec. 9 hearing in New York. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
- Prosecutors allege he helped bettors manipulate his stats in at least four games while with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023-24.
- Four of the six defendants have pleaded guilty or are expected to. Ed Davis and Paolo Zamorano have pleaded not guilty.
Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty in the federal NBA sports betting case, his attorney Steve Haney told ESPN on Tuesday. The 29-year-old, who played nine NBA seasons, is scheduled to change his plea at a December 9 hearing in New York.
Prosecutors allege he worked with bettors to manipulate his own stats in at least four games. That makes the case a direct concern for player prop bettors, who wager on an individual player’s stats rather than the game result.
What Haney and Prosecutors Said About the Beasley Plea Deal
Haney told ESPN that a deal had been reached. Over the weekend, he had said only that Beasley was in plea talks. He declined to share the terms.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, based in Brooklyn, confirmed an agreement. The office also declined to give specifics.
That leaves the biggest questions open. Neither side has said which counts Beasley will plead to or what sentence he could face. Those details may become clearer at the December 9 hearing.
The NBA kept its response brief. “We are aware of the recent report regarding Malik Beasley and will be monitoring the proceeding,” a league spokesperson said.
A Reversal Two Weeks After Beasley Signaled He Would Fight
This deal marks a sharp turn. At an October 14 hearing, a prosecutor said three of the five remaining defendants were expected to plead guilty. Haney then said Beasley did not intend to be one of them. The three defendants expected to plead guilty when a trial was set for May 17, 2027.
Less than two weeks later, Beasley has a deal in place.
The Federal Charges Against Malik Beasley
Beasley first pleaded not guilty to four federal charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The case, first detailed in the June indictment of Beasley and Ed Davis, centers on the 2023-24 season. Prosecutors allege Beasley coordinated with sports bettors to manipulate his statistics in at least four NBA games while playing for the Bucks.
The indictment also points to a motive. Prosecutors claimed Beasley joined the scheme after piling up “multimillion-dollar gambling losses.”
Where the Other Defendants in the NBA Betting Case Stand
Beasley is one of six defendants. Here is where each one stands:
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- Malik Beasley: agreed to plead guilty, with a plea change set for Dec. 9.
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- William Brown: pleaded guilty earlier in October.
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- Robert Gorodetsky: a sports bettor slated to formally plead guilty Nov. 20.
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- Ernesto Plascencia: his attorney confirmed Saturday that he will plead guilty.
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- Ed Davis: a former NBA player who has pleaded not guilty.
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- Paolo Zamorano: Davis’ agent, who has pleaded not guilty.
That puts four of the six on a guilty-plea path. Davis and Zamorano are now the only defendants still contesting the charges.
Beasley’s case is also one of several federal betting cases touching the league. In a related matter, federal prosecutors charged Terry Rozier with bribery.
Why the Beasley Case Matters for NBA Prop Bettors
The allegations hit the weak spot of prop betting. A player who controls his own stat line can, in theory, control the outcome of a bet on it.
That same risk, highlighted in the Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier cases, is why the league has already told sportsbooks to pull certain bets and restrict parlays.
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