Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis are facing federal charges as part of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. The indictment, unsealed Monday, names six defendants, including the two former basketball players.
According to the indictment, Davis was taken into custody Monday alongside William Brown, Rob Gorodetsky and Ernesto Plascencia. Beasley and NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano had not been arrested as of Monday morning.
Performance manipulation to cover debts
Prosecutors allege that Beasley lost millions of dollars gambling during his nine-year NBA career spanning six teams from 2016 to 2025. The indictment states that before at least three games during the 2023-24 season while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Beasley adjusted his performance to allow co-conspirators to bet on his statistics.
Beasley is accused of accepting bribes to reduce or settle debts owed to Davis, his teammate during the 2020-21 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis, who played 12 seasons across eight teams from 2010 to 2022, allegedly sent Beasley a message in December 2023 saying "the only way to beat Vegas is sports betting" and that they could make good money, according to the indictment.
Bets on rebound statistics
According to the indictment, a month later on January 26, 2024, Beasley told Davis he would underperform in rebounds during a game between the Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beasley finished the game with three rebounds; some sportsbooks had set the rebound line at 3.5.
The indictment states, "The defendants and their co-conspirators placed numerous illegal bets totaling tens of thousands of dollars based on Malik Beasley's 'low rebound' specialty bets."
Career earnings in the millions
Beasley, selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, earned approximately $60 million over his NBA career, which ended in 2019. Davis, selected in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in 2010, earned about $47 million over his career. As of Monday afternoon, the NBA had not yet made a public statement regarding the indictment.
