NBA free agent Malik Beasley is signing a deal with Bad Bunny’s professional basketball team in his native Puerto Rico. Beasley, 29, has agreed to play for the Santurce Crabbers of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The nine-year NBA veteran has been a free agent since being investigated by the U.S. District Attorney’s office for allegations of gambling on NBA games and prop bets in June. Beasley confirmed the signing on social media.
“Shoutout to @badbunnypr for giving me the opportunity to just hoop,” Beasley wrote on Instagram, accompanying a video of him dribbling a basketball. “With everything going on, I wanted to be close to home and give myself a chance to be seen again.”
“Coming off my best season in the NBA, I know I can only build from here,” he added. “The grind hasn’t changed. I’m more humble than ever, and I’ve learned a lot about myself through it all. If you’re still with me, you’re still with me.”
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional season begins in March.
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As Beasley alluded to in his Instagram post, he’s coming off an excellent season during which he averaged 16.3 points and shot 42% on 3-pointers while appearing in all 82 games for the Detroit Pistons. He helped fuel a resurgence by Detroit, which went from the NBA’s worst record (14-68) in 2023-24 to a playoff team last season that lost a first-round series to the New York Knicks in six games.
Finishing second in voting for NBA sixth man of the year, Beasley was in position to cash in as a free agent following the season. But on the verge of signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Pistons, the reports of Beasley’s involvement in a federal gambling investigation put negotiations on hold. As the NBA also investigated those gambling allegations, no other team showed interest in free agency.
Continuing a tumultuous summer, Beasley was sued by his agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, for breach of contract. And he was evicted from his downtown Detroit high-rise apartment for failing to pay $21,500 in rent.
In August, Beasley’s attorneys told ESPN that he was no longer a part of the federal gambling probe. However, sources told Yahoo Sports that the veteran guard was still a subject of the investigation.
Beasley’s performance during the 2023-24 season with the Milwaukee Bucks is drawing scrutiny from federal prosecutors. A prominent U.S. sportsbook noticed unusual betting activity for prop bets on Beasley beginning in January 2024, ESPN’s David Payne Purdum reported. That season, he started 77 games, averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 41% on 3s.
Bad Bunny is all over the sports world
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. (Foto AP/Charlie Riedel)
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Meanwhile, Bad Bunny is keeping his name in the sports news cycle after a performance during the Super Bowl halftime show that averaged 128.2 million viewers and dominated conversation the following Monday.
The superstar singer and rapper was also revealed to have offered to pay for Carlos Correa’s insurance, which would have allowed him to play for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The Houston Astros third baseman was denied coverage during the tournament due to ankle and wrist injuries.
However, after consulting with Major League Baseball and agent Scott Boras, Correa declined the offer, saying the company pitched by Bad Bunny had a history of not paying players back.
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