# Malik Beasley
**Malik Beasley** (born 1996) is an American professional basketball player, a 6-foot-4 (1.93 m), 187-pound shooting guard who played nine NBA seasons for six teams after being drafted 19th overall by the [Denver Nuggets](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-nuggets) in 2016, and who is known as a high-volume three-point shooter.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) • [2](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets-malik-beasley-19th-overall-nba-draft-062416) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) In June 2026 he was indicted on federal gambling charges alleging that he altered his play in 2024 games to benefit sports bettors, and he has pleaded not guilty.[4](https://apnews.com/article/7650529136c0a17a1b0d3d09150a71d5) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996; USA[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) |
| Position and size | Shooting guard, 6'4" (1.93 m), 187 lb (85 kg)[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) |
| Draft | 2016 NBA Draft, first round, 19th overall, by the Denver Nuggets[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) • [2](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets-malik-beasley-19th-overall-nba-draft-062416) |
| College | Florida State, one season; first FSU player to enter the draft after only one year of college basketball[5](https://cdn.wolveslynx.com/timberwolves/communications/guides/2020-21_Wolves-MediaGuide.pdf) |
| Career-best season | 2024-25 with Detroit: 16.3 points per game, 41.6% on 9.3 three-point attempts per game, 82 games[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) |
| Three-point milestone | Fifth player in NBA history to make at least 300 three-pointers in a season (319, a Pistons franchise record)[6](https://apnews.com/article/f8de4f23eb2f43df19fee0899f7a97f6) |
| NBA teams | Six teams in nine years: Denver, Minnesota, Utah-era Timberwolves tenure, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee, Detroit[3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) |
| Legal status | Indicted June 2026 on federal gambling charges; pleaded not guilty July 1, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court[4](https://apnews.com/article/7650529136c0a17a1b0d3d09150a71d5) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) |
## College career at Florida State
Beasley spent a single season at Florida State, and his shooting stood out immediately. As a freshman he made 1.6 three-pointers per game at 38.7 percent and shot 81.3 percent from the free-throw line, and he scored at least 21 points in each of his first three collegiate games, becoming the first player in Seminole history to do so.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641943-2016-nba-draft-prospects-breaking-down-future-of-florida-states-malik-beasley) • [8](https://www.nba.com/celtics/draft/profile-malik-beasley) He finished third among ACC freshmen in scoring while leading conference freshmen in field goal percentage and free throw percentage.[8](https://www.nba.com/celtics/draft/profile-malik-beasley)
Scouts liked his stroke but flagged his physical tools. At the NBA combine his 6'7" wingspan was the shortest of any non-point guard measured, and at 6'4½" and about 190 pounds he lacked size and length for his position.[9](https://8points9seconds.com/2016/06/22/indiana-pacers-draft-wings-luwawu-korkmas-brogdon-beasley/) • [7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641943-2016-nba-draft-prospects-breaking-down-future-of-florida-states-malik-beasley) After the season he became the first Florida State player in school history to declare for the NBA Draft after only one year of college basketball.[5](https://cdn.wolveslynx.com/timberwolves/communications/guides/2020-21_Wolves-MediaGuide.pdf)
## NBA career
**Denver and Minnesota.** The Nuggets selected Beasley with the 19th overall pick in the 2016 draft.[2](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets-malik-beasley-19th-overall-nba-draft-062416) His role in Denver was limited, and in the 2018-19 season his value rested on three-point shooting, though he shot just 1-of-15 from three when taking three to six dribbles before releasing.[10](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/denver-nuggets-stat-of-week-malik-beasley-3point-percentage-091119) In 2021-22 he appeared in 72 games with six starts, averaging 12.3 points and shooting 37.5 percent from three.[11](https://3pointstats.com/p/malik-beasley)
In July 2022 Minnesota sent Beasley to Utah as part of the price for [Rudy Gobert](https://www.edgepedia.org/rudy-gobert): the Jazz received Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, the 22nd pick of the previous draft ([Walker Kessler](https://www.edgepedia.org/walker-kessler)), and four additional first-round picks, three unprotected (2023, 2025, and 2027) and the 2029 pick protected top five.[12](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/rudy-gobert-no-esta-para-bromas-f202604-n/)
**Milwaukee and Detroit.** Beasley spent the 2023-24 season with the [Milwaukee Bucks](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee-bucks), starting 77 games at shooting guard next to [Damian Lillard](https://www.edgepedia.org/damian-lillard) and shooting over 41 percent from three on about seven attempts per game.[13](https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2024/10/22/24275099/detroit-pistons-malik-beasley-season-preview) He attempted 542 threes that season, 75 percent of his 722 field goal attempts.[13](https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2024/10/22/24275099/detroit-pistons-malik-beasley-season-preview)
He then signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the [Detroit Pistons](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-pistons) for 2024-25, a signing intended to give floor spacing around [Cade Cunningham](https://www.edgepedia.org/cade-cunningham).[13](https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2024/10/22/24275099/detroit-pistons-malik-beasley-season-preview) The season became the best of his career: he averaged 16.3 points over 82 games while shooting 41.6 percent on 9.3 three-point attempts per game, and Detroit won 44 games after winning only 14 the previous season, reaching the playoffs.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/0b275eb6ad86609f431e8afb1f8c3271) He made 319 three-pointers, a Pistons franchise record and one behind league leader Anthony Edwards of Minnesota, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 300 threes in a single season.[6](https://apnews.com/article/f8de4f23eb2f43df19fee0899f7a97f6) • [14](https://apnews.com/article/0b275eb6ad86609f431e8afb1f8c3271)
## Playing style
Beasley's game is built around the three-point shot. In Detroit, 75 percent of his field goal attempts came from behind the arc, a shot diet that pulls defenders away from the basket and creates spacing for teammates.[13](https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2024/10/22/24275099/detroit-pistons-malik-beasley-season-preview) Draft-era scouting described him as a better spot-up shooter than a creator off the dribble, with a strong midrange game and reliable free throw shooting.[8](https://www.nba.com/celtics/draft/profile-malik-beasley) • [7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641943-2016-nba-draft-prospects-breaking-down-future-of-florida-states-malik-beasley)
## Gambling indictment and legal issues
**The investigation.** Federal investigators were examining betting patterns surrounding games Beasley played during the 2023-24 season with [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee); at that stage he had not been charged.[14](https://apnews.com/article/0b275eb6ad86609f431e8afb1f8c3271)
**The indictment.** According to the accusation reported by the Spanish newspaper AS, Beasley and former teammate [Ed Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-davis-basketball) agreed to manipulate Beasley's performance in four games of the 2023-24 season, when Davis was with the [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-cavaliers) and Beasley with the Bucks, with the alleged scheme touching parameters including Beasley's rebound count; the indictment says Beasley had accumulated millions of dollars in gambling debts despite earning more than $60 million in his career, and that Davis had lent him money.[16](https://as.com/baloncesto/la-fiscalia-imputa-a-malik-beasley-y-ed-davis-por-amano-de-apuestas-f202606-n/) Beasley and Davis were the fourth and fifth athletes implicated in the broader federal investigation, joining [Terry Rozier](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-rozier), Jontay Porter, and Damon Jones.[16](https://as.com/baloncesto/la-fiscalia-imputa-a-malik-beasley-y-ed-davis-por-amano-de-apuestas-f202606-n/)
**Arraignment and finances.** Beasley pleaded not guilty on July 1, 2026, at an arraignment in Brooklyn federal court, with his lawyer Jason Goldman entering the plea; the charges allege he altered his play in certain 2024 games to enrich sports bettors and ease his own debts. He and his codefendants were due back in court for a status conference in August.[3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) His financial troubles extend beyond the case: despite earning nearly $60 million as an NBA player, his debts exceed $8 million, owed to a marketing company, a lender specializing in loans to professional athletes, and others, and in August 2025 he faced eviction from a $7,000-per-month apartment in Detroit's 38-story Stott tower.[17](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2025/08/08/malik-beasley-evicted-apartment-gambling-debt)
## Life after the NBA
Beasley, who played for six NBA teams in nine years, missed the most recent NBA season because he was under investigation.[3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) Instead he played in Puerto Rico for a team co-owned by the rapper [Bad Bunny](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-bunny), and in March 2026 he signed a contract to play for the Santurce Crabbers in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the island's top league, per reporting by ESPN's Shams Charania.[3](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6) • [18](https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/player/1627736/malik-beasley)
## References
1. [Malik Beasley player profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1627736/malik-beasley)
2. [Welcome To Denver: Malik Beasley, Denver Nuggets, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets-malik-beasley-19th-overall-nba-draft-062416)
3. [Former NBA star Malik Beasley pleads not guilty to gambling charges, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/61f3b1192c0250ffbea0c58da9a774f6)
4. [Former NBA players Malik Beasley, Ed Davis are latest to be charged in gambling scandal, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7650529136c0a17a1b0d3d09150a71d5)
5. [Malik Beasley media guide entry, 2020-21 Minnesota Timberwolves](https://cdn.wolveslynx.com/timberwolves/communications/guides/2020-21_Wolves-MediaGuide.pdf)
6. [NBA player Malik Beasley is no longer a target in federal gambling probe, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f8de4f23eb2f43df19fee0899f7a97f6)
7. [2016 NBA Draft Prospects: Breaking Down Future of Florida State's Malik Beasley, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641943-2016-nba-draft-prospects-breaking-down-future-of-florida-states-malik-beasley)
8. [Draft Profile: Malik Beasley, Boston Celtics, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/celtics/draft/profile-malik-beasley)
9. [Indiana Pacers Draft Profiles: Wings, 8 Points, 9 Seconds](https://8points9seconds.com/2016/06/22/indiana-pacers-draft-wings-luwawu-korkmas-brogdon-beasley/)
10. [Denver Nuggets Stat of the Week: Malik Beasley's 3-point percentage, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/denver-nuggets-stat-of-week-malik-beasley-3point-percentage-091119)
11. [Malik Beasley career stats and shot charts, 3PointStats](https://3pointstats.com/p/malik-beasley)
12. [Rudy Gobert no está para bromas, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/rudy-gobert-no-esta-para-bromas-f202604-n/)
13. [Pistons player preview: Malik Beasley is here to space the floor, Detroit Bad Boys](https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2024/10/22/24275099/detroit-pistons-malik-beasley-season-preview)
14. [Malik Beasley should be in high demand after a career season, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/0b275eb6ad86609f431e8afb1f8c3271)
15. [Pistons reshape roster, but keep core intact, Axios Detroit](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2025/07/03/pistons-offseason-moves-2025)
16. [La Fiscalía imputa a Malik Beasley y Ed Davis por amaño de apuestas, AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/la-fiscalia-imputa-a-malik-beasley-y-ed-davis-por-amano-de-apuestas-f202606-n/)
17. [Beasley getting evicted from luxury Detroit high-rise, Axios Detroit](https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2025/08/08/malik-beasley-evicted-apartment-gambling-debt)
18. [Malik Beasley News, Updates & Latest Videos, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/player/1627736/malik-beasley)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Current NBA players › Shooting guards › Established NBA veterans*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license