Malik Beasley Was JUST About To Sign A $42 Million, Now He's Being Investigated Gambling On NBA Games And It Could All Vanish

For no reason at all, allow me to start this article by providing you with a partial list of gambling companies that currently advertise during NBA broadcasts, sponsor league content, or have formal partnerships with NBA teams:

• FanDuel
• DraftKings
• BetMGM
• Caesars Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• BetRivers
• Bally Bet
• Kalshi

Ok, now let's talk about what just happened to Malik Beasley…

Paired with the NBA Draft, the league's free agency period is an exciting way to kick off the offseason. Over the span of a couple of weeks, teams sign new players (or re-sign ones currently on the roster) that they hope will make them more competitive. Players score deals of a lifetime, the result of hard work and effective results. These deals can sometimes shape the landscape of the NBA for years to come.

In the case of Malik Beasley, his offseason just became a lot more tumultuous. The Detroit Pistons guard is being investigated for gambling related to NBA games and prop bets, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

If Beasley is found guilty, he could be banned entirely from the NBA. After a season where he hit a Pistons franchise record 319 three-pointers, Beasley was in the final stages of signing a contract to stay in Detroit. That deal was reportedly worth $42 million over three years. Now, it might all go away.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The investigation is looking at games from the 2023-24 season. Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and played in 79 games, starting 77 of them. A U.S. sportsbook said it uncovered heavier-than-usual betting interest on Beasley's statistics in January 2024.

One game, a contest between the Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers, saw a ton of action on the under for Beasley's total rebounds for the game. His number was 2.5 rebounds, with the barrage of activity betting the under, lowering the odds quite a bit as a result. Beasley recorded six rebounds during the game, so the majority of those bets lost, but anyone who bet the over got quite a nice payout.

Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney, shared a statement:

"An investigation is not a charge. Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything."

It's possible Beasley comes out of this without any long-lasting damage. Guard Terry Rozier was investigated for potential gambling activity and, to this point, has not been charged with anything. On the other hand, former Raptors big man Jontay Porter was found guilty of betting on games and received a lifetime ban from the NBA. In total, Porter placed $54,094 in bets. He won $76,059.

Since pro sports leagues have started welcoming gambling sponsors and some states have legalized gambling, this has become even more of an issue. The leagues certainly appreciate the extra revenue betting brings, but it's only going to further cloud these types of situations.

In the meantime, Beasley will await the results of the investigation. And the Pistons—or any other team—will also wait before handing him a contract.

Oh And BTW

Let's talk about one of the league's gambling partners, Kalshi. Kalshi is a gambling platform that lets users bet on… anything.

During Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Kalshi aired what may be the most unhinged commercial ever to grace any NBA broadcast. The commercial (which is completely bonkers, you must watch it) was created by a self-described "AI Filmmaker" using Google's Gemini and Veo 3. The entire thing was conceived, scripted, and rendered in two days using AI prompts. Then it was submitted and approved for airing by Disney/ABC approval during the NBA's biggest stage.

There's an old man winning a boxing match, a guy riding an alligator in a plastic pool surrounded by a group of seemingly underage women drinking alcohol, a farmer taking a bath in a giant tub of eggs, an alien at a frat party chugging an enormous beer… then  at the 20-second mark, an AI-generated gold-chain-wearing shirtless elderly man explains, as he walks away from what appears to be an extremely serious, likely fatal multi-car accident: "Kalshi lets you legally trade on anything, anywhere in the US." Here's the ad in all its glory:

Kalshi hired me to make the most unhinged NBA Finals commercial possible.

Network TV actually approved this GTA-style madness 🤣

High-dopamine Veo 3 videos will be the ad trend of 2025.

Here's how I made it in just TWO DAYS 👇🏼 (Prompt included)pic.twitter.com/XcT3m7CROL

— PJ Ace (@PJaccetturo) June 11, 2025