DOJ Investigates NBA Player Over Gambling Allegations

Is the NBA rigged?

The Department of Justice is investigating NBA player Malik Beasley over gambling allegations.

No official charges have been filed yet against Beasley.

AP had more details to add regarding the investigation.

NBA free agent Malik Beasley is under investigation by the U.S. District Attorney’s office regarding gambling allegations tied to league games, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the matter.

“We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement released to the AP and other outlets on Sunday.

ESPN was the first to report on the investigation.
“There have been no charges against Malik,” Steve Haney, Beasley’s attorney, told the AP. “It’s just an investigation at this point. We hope people reserve judgement until he’s charged — or if he’s charged. It’s not uncommon for there to be a federal investigation.”

The probe into Beasley comes 14 months after the NBA banned Toronto’s Jontay Porter, who was linked to a prop bet investigation and eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud.

This past season, The Wall Street Journal was first to report that Terry Rozier — then of the Charlotte Hornets — was under investigation for activity related to unusual betting patterns surrounding him in a March 2023 game.

Here’s Beasley on the court:

Malik Beasley 100% going to jail 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/GvS0nOed38

— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) June 29, 2025

MALIK BEASLEY’S LAST PLAY IN DETROIT😭😭pic.twitter.com/pruxyDgRQ5

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) June 29, 2025

Previously, NBA star LeBron James hinted that the NBA draft was rigged.

Watch him hint here:

Is the NBA Draft Lottery Rigged? Here's the data:

2008: Derrick Rose going to his home town Chicago when the Bulls had a 1.7% chance

2011: The Cavaliers getting the #1 pick after LeBron James left the summer prior

2012: The Pelicans getting the #1 pick after Chris Paul leaves… pic.twitter.com/Tq7kGgErMV

— FlightMike (Mikerophone) (@TheFlightMike) May 12, 2025

CBS had more details on LeBron’s remarks:

Be honest: a small part of you thinks the NBA Draft lottery might be rigged, right? Don’t be embarrassed. A lot of people, on some level, believe that to be the case. One of them happens to be at the center of one such conspiracy: the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James.

“During the ball drop, the lottery drop, Cleveland got the No. 1 pick?” James said in a recent interview with Pat McAfee, admittedly while laughing. “I just don’t think that — what a coincidence. Let’s keep LeBron home. Patrick Ewing to the Knicks, Derrick Rose to the Bulls, I understand the assignment.” Now, James himself may have been joking, but given how many people buy into these theories, it’s worth exploring them with at least a somewhat critical eye.

Pick any lottery of note and you’ll hear conspiracies like these. Victor Wembanyama went to the Spurs because the greatest French player in NBA history, Tony Parker, was a Spur. Anthony Davis went to the Pelicans because the league itself had recently owned the team and included the top pick as a condition of the sale in order to drive up the price. The Cavaliers won three No. 1 picks in four years out of pity when James left as a free agent in 2010. The list goes on and on and on. It is possibly the single most enduring conspiracy in professional sports.

Your thoughts?