Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Malik Beasley intends to enter a guilty plea with the US Department of Justice on December 9 over his involvement in a match-fixing scheme related to his NBA play.
In June, Beasley and fellow former NBA player Ed Davis were indicted on illegal sports gambling charges, as Beasley allegedly worked off “millions of dollars” in gambling losses by manipulating his performance during a January 2024 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Beasley would go on to allegedly manipulate his performance in three additional games during 2024, but the scheme eventually fell apart after the nine-year veteran could not achieve the under of his rebounds total on March 21 against the Brooklyn Nets.
The duo worked alongside three other individuals to wager on Beasley’s performance, including Davis’ former agent Paolo Zamorano.
On October 15, 2026, three of the five remaining defendants involved with Beasley’s federal investigation unveiled intentions to plead guilty to their respective charges. Despite claiming his client had no plans to enter a guilty plea at the time, Beasley and his attorney Steve Haney must’ve reconsidered in the days following.
As a result of Beasley’s manipulation – along with investigations related to Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter – the NBA chose to restrict wagers included within parlays and “first of” markets such as the winner of the opening tip and players to miss specific shots.
The NBA maintains the authority to restrict wagers offered by its sports betting partners through its respective agreements with each entity.
In a rather ironic twist, however, the professional basketball league also formed new partnership agreements with Kalshi and Polymarket, officially entering the prediction markets space.
The NBA stated the partnerships create an integrity framework that provides the league greater influence over the markets offered by both operators, while Kalshi and Polymarket gain access to official NBA data and the right to use the league’s marks and logos.
Sands China and the NBA outlined a five-day program around the NBA China Games 2026 on October 6, expanding the event beyond two preseason games at The Venetian Macao
