Judge orders Malik Beasley to pay $1 million to former agencyDavid PurdumMar 5, 2026, 03:23 PM ETClose
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
A federal judge in New York issued a $1 million civil judgment against NBA free agent Malik Beasley on Thursday in a contract dispute with his former agency.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas found Beasley liable for $1 million in damages plus interest to be paid to New York-based Hazan Sports Management, his former agency.
Vargas wrote in the ruling that, despite ample warning, “no objections have been filed and no request for an extension of time to object has been made.” No attorney is listed for Beasley on the suit, and the docket does not show any action on Beasley’s part.
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ESPN called a number associated with Beasley, and the person hung up after being asked for comment. An attorney for Hazan Sports did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beasley left Hazan Sports in February 2025, in what the agency mentioned in the suit was a violation of the contract. Hazan Sports mentioned in the lawsuit that it attempted to recoup a $650,000 marketing advance from Beasley “but received little more than drips and drabs of sporadic payments and vague promises to repay the balance over time.”
Beasley has played nine seasons in the NBA, including stints with the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. He had a resurgent season in 2025 and appeared poised for a three-year contract reportedly worth $42 million with the Pistons, before his name surfaced in a federal gambling probe.
Beasley has not been charged in the case.
Steve Haney, who is representing Beasley in the gambling investigation, mentioned he was not involved in the Hazan Sports suit.
In September, the NBA mentioned it was conducting its own investigation into Beasley. Haney told ESPN at the time that his client was “fully cooperating” with the NBA probe.
Last month, Beasley signed with Puerto Rican basketball team Santurce Crabbers, which is owned by artist Bad Bunny.
