NEW YORK — Former NBA shooting guard Malik Beasley appeared in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea to charges alleging he intentionally manipulated his performance in certain 2024 games to benefit sports bettors and help erase his own financial debts.
Beasley, the latest high-profile name swept up in a wide-ranging federal gambling investigation, said very little during his arraignment. He responded to the judge’s questions with “yes, your honor” and allowed his attorney, Jason Goldman, to formally enter the plea on his behalf.
Following the hearing, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard stood silently as Goldman addressed reporters outside the courthouse. When a reporter asked whether he had a message for his fans, Beasley declined to respond. The 29-year-old, who spent nine years playing for six different NBA franchises, sat out the most recent season while under federal investigation. During that time, he played for a Puerto Rican basketball team co-owned by rapper Bad Bunny.
“He looks forward to fighting. He’s fought every day,” Goldman told reporters. “He’s presumed innocent and that has to mean something still, obviously.”
Beasley and sports agent Paolo Zamorano, 39, both entered not guilty pleas Wednesday. They are among six individuals named in an indictment unsealed earlier this week.
The two are the most recent defendants in a gambling crackdown that has produced more than three dozen arrests. Others caught up in the investigation include former Miami Heat star Terry Rozier, accused of conspiring with associates to help them win bets, and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who faces accusations of conspiring to fix high-stakes poker games.
Zamorano previously represented fellow co-defendant and former NBA player Ed Davis, who had lent money to Beasley. Davis is accused of serving as Beasley’s “gatekeeper” in the alleged scheme.
“We look forward to our day in court,” Zamorano’s attorney, Kenneth Breen, told reporters outside the courthouse.
Both Beasley and Zamorano were released on bond. A status conference is scheduled for August 6.
According to the indictment, Beasley is accused of fixing or attempting to fix his on-court performance in at least four games while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024 — either underperforming or overperforming against bookmakers’ expectations. In return, the indictment alleges, bettors bribed Beasley and his debts to Davis were reduced or wiped out entirely.
“Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” Davis wrote to Beasley in a January 26, 2024 text message cited in the indictment. “Everything else they got the edge.”
One specific example detailed in the indictment involves a March 10, 2024 game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Beasley allegedly told Davis he would try to exceed the 3.5 rebound line set by sportsbooks for that game. With one second remaining and the Bucks leading by seven, Beasley contested a Clippers shot, weaved past four defenders, and snagged his fourth rebound just as the buzzer sounded — securing a win for the bettors.
The indictment says one bettor walked away with a $3,252 profit on a $2,838 wager, while another earned $2,107 on bets totaling $2,400. However, some bettors lost money after what appeared to be a miscommunication led them to wager incorrectly on Beasley underperforming the rebound total.
“What’s funny is after he got it he had a big sigh of relief,” a co-conspirator wrote in a text message quoted in the indictment.
Beasley reportedly racked up millions of dollars in gambling losses and borrowed money from Davis, a former teammate, to cover them. His well-documented financial troubles include disputes with a Detroit landlord, a Milwaukee barber, and a Minnesota dentist. A 2025 lawsuit filed by a sports marketing agency resulted in a $1 million default judgment against him.
Goldman used the case to call attention to broader issues within the sports gambling industry. “There’s a bigger conversation here about the industry, about individuals and institutions that are profiting billions and billions of dollars and fueling the addiction,” he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Weintraub noted that Beasley has been aware of the federal investigation for approximately one year.
Beasley last played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons under a one-year, $6 million contract during the 2024-2025 season, averaging 16 points per game. He scored 20 points in his final game, a playoff loss to the New York Knicks. He is one of only five players in NBA history to record more than 300 three-pointers in a single season.
Beasley’s release was co-signed by his parents, actors Michael and Deena Beasley, who participated in the arraignment by phone from their Georgia home. Beasley remained stone-faced for most of the hour-long proceeding but cracked a smile when his mother responded to Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl’s question about how frequently they speak.
“I probably call him every day. He might not answer every day,” Deena Beasley said, drawing laughter from the courtroom. “If I call him six times a week, he’ll answer five times.”
