Malik Beasley facing troubling lawsuit amid federal gambling probe

Malik Beasley is at the center of a federal gambling investigation, and the NBA veteran is also facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

Beasley, who is a free agent after spending the 2024-25 season with the Detroit Pistons, made headlines on Sunday after news broke that he is being investigated over gambling allegations related to NBA games and prop bets. According to ESPN's David Purdum, Beasley is also being sued by a marketing agency that used to represent him.

The lawsuit, which was filed in April by New York-based firm Hazan Sports Management Group, claims Beasley failed to pay back a $650,000 marketing advance because the 28-year-old had "financial issues."

An attorney for Hazan Sports said in the lawsuit that the firm "elected to take a chance and make a substantial investment of time, effort and resources in a player with known issues (including and especially financial issues)." Beasley signed with the firm in 2023 and allegedly terminated the deal on Feb. 27. The lawsuit claims Beasley made only "sporadic payments and vague promises to repay the balance over time."

The lawsuit is seeking $2.25M in damages and legal fees from Beasley for breach of contract.

Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game while playing in every game for the Pistons this season. He shot an impressive 41.6% from three-point range.

The Pistons were working toward signing Beasley to a new contract prior to the gambling investigation, but they acquired a potential replacement in a sign-and-trade on Tuesday.