Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that a grand jury in New York has returned indictments against former NBA forwards Malik Beasley and Ed Davis, accusing them of scheming to manipulate on‑court performance for profit.
According to the charging documents, Beasley, who last suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2024 season, is alleged to have adjusted his shooting and playing time in response to trends in proposition bets, a practice that investigators say generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit gains.
The Prop‑Bet Manipulation Scheme
The scheme, prosecutors say, involved a network of players who monitored betting market fluctuations and deliberately altered their gameplay to exploit those patterns, thereby ensuring favorable outcomes for high‑stakes wagers placed by insiders.
The investigation also uncovered a separate conspiracy involving former guard Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to conspiring with others to use insider information to place winning bets on NBA games.
Legal Fallout and Defenses
Two other former players, Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, remain defendants in the case. Both have entered not‑guilty pleas, with Billups denying any involvement in a card‑game fixing scheme and Rozier insisting he never conspired to help friends profit from his own performance.
The indictments highlight a broader pattern of athletes leveraging their on‑court influence to gain an edge in the booming sports‑betting market, a trend that has drawn scrutiny from league officials and betting platforms alike.
While the legal proceedings unfold, the NBA faces mounting pressure to tighten regulations around player conduct and betting activities, a move that could reshape how the league monitors its stars both on and off the court.