Malik Beasley

Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley
Born	November 26, 1996 (age 29); United States
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2016–present
Known for	NBA player for Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Malik Beasley, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

Malik JonMikal Beasley (born November 26, 1996) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently played for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Saint Francis School in Alpharetta, Georgia, where he was recognized as a four-star recruit. Beasley competed at the collegiate level for the Florida State Seminoles.

In his freshman year at Florida State, Beasley was honored on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshman team after posting averages of 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He played a key role in guiding the Seminoles to a 20–14 overall record and securing a spot in the NIT Tournament, before declaring for the 2016 NBA draft.

Chosen 19th overall by the Denver Nuggets, Beasley saw limited playing time during his initial two seasons but increased his contributions significantly in his third year, averaging over 11 points in 81 games. Following three and a half seasons with Denver, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2020, where he achieved career-best scoring marks of 19.9 points per game over 51 contests during his first season and a half with the franchise.

High school career

Beasley was a student-athlete at Saint Francis School located in Alpharetta, Georgia. During his senior year, he averaged 22.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, earning accolades such as Georgia's Class 1A Player of the Year and selection to the All-State Class A First Team. His teammates included future notable athletes like Kobi Simmons, Kaiser Gates, and Jacob Davis (who later played football at Birmingham–Southern College).

Ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, Beasley committed to play for Florida State, choosing them over scholarship offers from programs including UConn, UCLA, Wake Forest, and Oregon.

College career

During his freshman campaign at Florida State in the 2015–16 season, Beasley averaged 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 34 games while logging an average of 29.8 minutes per contest. He earned recognition on the Atlantic Coast Conference all-freshman team and ranked eighth in free throw percentage (.813) as well as tenth in field-goal percentage (.471) within the conference.

On March 21, 2016, Beasley announced his decision to enter the NBA draft, foregoing the remaining three years of college eligibility. This made him Florida State’s first player to declare for the draft after just one collegiate season, becoming their inaugural one-and-done athlete.

Denver Nuggets (2016–2020)

Following the conclusion of the 2015–16 college season, Beasley underwent surgery to address a stress fracture in his right leg, which limited his ability to participate fully in pre-draft workouts. Despite these health concerns, he was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2016 NBA draft. On August 9, 2016, Beasley inked his rookie scale contract with Denver. His early appearances during his rookie campaign were limited; however, on November 10, 2016, he tallied 12 points in just 15 minutes against the Golden State Warriors. Throughout that season, Beasley was assigned multiple times to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League via the flexible assignment rule.

On February 1, 2019, he achieved a personal best by scoring 35 points in a victory over the Houston Rockets.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2020–2022)

On February 5, 2020, Beasley was involved in a four-team trade that sent him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Upon his arrival in Minnesota, he earned a starting position and boosted his offensive output, averaging 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists across 14 games.

Beasley secured a contract extension with the Timberwolves on November 27, 2020, reportedly agreeing to a four-year deal worth $60 million. Nevertheless, on February 25, 2021, he received a 12-game suspension after pleading guilty in a criminal matter. At that point in the season, he was posting career-best averages of 20.5 points per game and shooting 40% from beyond the arc, while Minnesota struggled with a league-worst record of 7–26.

On March 5, 2022, Beasley set a new franchise benchmark for the most three-pointers made in one season by eclipsing Kevin Love's previous total of 190. He extended this record to 240 before it was overtaken by Anthony Edwards during the 2024-2025 season with 320 threes made. Just four days later, Beasley established another franchise milestone by draining 11 three-pointers in a commanding 132–102 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring all 33 points solely from three-point attempts—marking the highest single-game total from threes in NBA history.

In Game 1 of the first playoff round on April 16, 2022, Beasley achieved a playoff career-high by scoring 23 points to help secure a 130–117 win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Utah Jazz (2022–2023)

Beasley was traded to the Utah Jazz on July 6, 2022, as part of a multi-player deal that included Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to Walker Kessler, four future first-round picks, and a pick swap in exchange for Rudy Gobert. He made his Jazz debut on October 19, contributing 15 points and five rebounds in a 123–102 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles Lakers (2023)

On February 9, 2023, Beasley was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers through a three-team transaction involving the Minnesota Timberwolves. He appeared for the Lakers two days later, recording four points and two rebounds in a narrow 109–103 win against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers declined to exercise Beasley's team option on June 29, 2023, rendering him an unrestricted free agent.

Milwaukee Bucks (2023–2024)

Beasley signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 6, 2023. On November 16, he posted a season-high of 30 points during a 128–112 triumph over the Toronto Raptors. Additionally, he participated in the NBA Three-Point Contest at the 2024 All-Star Weekend but was defeated by teammate Damian Lillard.

Detroit Pistons (2024–2025)

On July 11, 2024, Beasley inked a deal with the Detroit Pistons. During this tenure, he delivered notable performances such as scoring 22 points with six three-pointers on January 13, 2025, leading to a win over the New York Knicks, and achieving a career-high of 36 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 9. Shortly thereafter on February 11, he established a new Pistons franchise record by making his 212th three-pointer of the season, surpassing Saddiq Bey's former record.

Beasley completed all 82 games in that season while averaging 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest. He finished as runner-up in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting following Detroit’s first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Knicks. Despite some efficiency challenges during the series, he managed to score 20 points in Game 6; however, Detroit fell short with a close loss of 113-116 after a late turnover.

On June 29, 2025, Beasley became subject to an investigation by the United States Attorney's office concerning allegations related to gambling and placing prop bets on NBA games.

Personal life

His grandfather, actor John Beasley, gained recognition for his portrayal of Notre Dame football Coach Warren in the movie Rudy. Malik and his spouse Montana Yao welcomed their first child on March 26, 2019, and later had a daughter on November 11, 2022. Between 2020 and 2021, Beasley was briefly involved with television personality Larsa Pippen, including a short-lived reconciliation during that period. On March 4, 2025, Yao initiated divorce proceedings, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Criminal case

On September 27, 2020, Beasley was taken into custody for possession of marijuana, hiding stolen goods, and displaying a firearm. The charges in Hennepin County stemmed from an incident where he allegedly threatened a family outside his residence with a gun. In December of the same year, he admitted guilt to the felony charge of issuing a threat of violence and received a sentence of 120 days in jail, which he served following the conclusion of the 2020–21 NBA season. Beasley served 78 days before being released in August 2021.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 22 || 1 || 7.5 || .452 || .321 || .800 || .8 || .5 || .3 || .0 || 3.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 62 || 0 || 9.4 || .410 || .341 || .667 || 1.1 || .5 || .2 || .1 || 3.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 81 || 18 || 23.2 || .474 || .402 || .848 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .7 || .1 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 41 || 0 || 18.2 || .389 || .360 || .868 || 1.9 || 1.2 || .8 || .1 || 7.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Minnesota | 14 || 14 || 33.1 || .472 || .426 || .750 || 5.1 || 1.9 || .6 || .1 || 20.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Minnesota | 37 || 36 || 32.8 || .440 || .399 || .850 || 4.4 || 2.4 || .8 || .2||19.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Minnesota | 79||18||25.0||.391||.377||.817||2.9||1.5||.5|| .2||12.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2|

| style="text-align:left;" | Utah
|55||13||26.8||.396||.359||.841||3.6||1.7||.8||.1||13.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | L.A. Lakers
|26||14||23.9||.392||.353||.619||3.3||1.2||.8||0||11.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" | Milwaukee
|79||77||29.6||.443||.413||.714||3.7||1.4||0.7||0.1||11.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" | Detroit
| bgcolor=cfecec | 82*||18||27.8||0.430||0.416||0.679||2.6||1.7|||.9|||0.1|||16.3

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
|578|||209|||23.8|||0.426|||0.391|||0.769|||2.8|||1.4|||0.7|||0..1|||11..7

Playoff Performance

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2019
| style="text-align:left;" | Denver
| 14 || 0 || 20.1 || .387 || .404 || .710 || 3.4 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 8.1

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2022 NBA playoffs 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2021–22 Minnesota Timberwolves season 
| 6 || 0 || 19.8 || .432 || .320 || .833 || 3.3 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 8.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2023 NBA playoffs 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2022–23 Los Angeles Lakers season 
| 11 || 0 || 8.3 || .294 || .269 || 1.000 || 0.7 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 3.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2024 NBA playoffs 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2023–24 Milwaukee Bucks season 
| 6 || 2 || 21.8 || .512 || .440 || — || 2.5 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 0.0 || 8.8

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 2025 NBA playoffs 
| style="text-align:left;" | 2024–25 Detroit Pistons season 
| 6 || 0 || 27.2 || .373 || .339 || 1.000 || 2.5 || 1.2 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 1.4