Two former professional basketball players are now facing federal charges as the government’s expansive gambling investigation continues to grow. Malik Beasley and Ed Davis were both indicted, authorities announced Monday, adding their names to a lengthy list of individuals swept up in the probe.
According to an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn, Beasley — who was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks at the time — agreed to deliberately adjust his on-court performance in certain games to align with prop bets placed by co-conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said Beasley and those involved with him “turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation.” He went on to say the schemes “erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public.”
Attorneys representing both Beasley and Davis had not responded to requests for comment on the conspiracy and bribery charges as of Monday.
Nocella said the scheme involved hundreds of thousands of dollars. The indictment, which names six individuals in total, describes Beasley as having serious financial problems — including millions of dollars in gambling losses — and says he had turned to Davis, a former teammate, for financial assistance.
In exchange for manipulating his play, Beasley was allegedly paid by co-conspirators who profited from winning bets, and his debts to Davis were reduced or wiped out entirely, according to the indictment.
One specific incident cited in the indictment occurred on March 10, 2024, during a Milwaukee win over the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Bucks leading by seven points and the game’s outcome no longer in question, Beasley reportedly sprinted past four defenders to grab a last-second rebound — pushing his total for the night to four rebounds, which matched a winning prop bet.
“What’s funny is after he got it he had a big sigh of relief,” a co-conspirator wrote in a text message cited in the indictment.
Beasley’s most recent NBA stint was with the Detroit Pistons during the 2024-25 season, where he averaged 16 points per game. He is one of only five players in league history to knock down more than 300 three-pointers in a single season. He has not appeared in the NBA since due to the ongoing investigation, though he did play briefly for a team in Puerto Rico earlier this year.
Beasley’s financial difficulties have been widely covered in the press, with reports detailing lawsuits from his Detroit landlord and payment disputes involving a Milwaukee barber and a Minnesota dentist.
Davis spent 12 seasons in the NBA primarily as a backup, earning approximately $48 million in gross salary over his career. He and Beasley were briefly teammates in Minnesota during the 2020-21 season.
This latest round of charges builds on a broader investigation that has already ensnared more than 30 people, including reputed organized crime figures and others connected to basketball. In April, former NBA player Damon Jones, 49, became the first person to enter a guilty plea in the case. Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for schemes that allegedly defrauded major sportsbooks — including DraftKings and FanDuel — and stole millions from unsuspecting poker players. He was accused of using his NBA connections to sell insider information to bettors.
One of the most prominent figures caught up in the investigation is Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who was serving as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers when he was charged last year. Billups is accused of taking part in a conspiracy to rig high-stakes card games connected to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families, allegedly cheating unknowing gamblers out of at least $7 million. He has pleaded not guilty.
Also charged in 2025 was Terry Rozier, who was a member of the Miami Heat at the time. Rozier is accused of conspiring with associates to help them win bets tied to his performance during a 2023 game while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. He has also pleaded not guilty.
