Malik Beasley
Beasley with the Denver Nuggets in 2020
No. 5 – Milwaukee Bucks
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1996-11-26) November 26, 1996 (age 27)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Francis (Alpharetta, Georgia)
CollegeFlorida State (2015–2016)
NBA draft2016: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2020Denver Nuggets
2016–2017→Sioux Falls Skyforce
2020–2022Minnesota Timberwolves
2022–2023Utah Jazz
2023Los Angeles Lakers
2023–presentMilwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
  • ACC All-Freshman team (2016)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Malik JonMikal Beasley[1] (born November 26, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Saint Francis School in Alpharetta, Georgia,[2] where he was a four-star recruit. He played one season of college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.

Beasley had a standout freshman season at Florida State, earning freshman-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors[3] after averaging 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He led the team in scoring and helped lead the Seminoles to a 20-14 record and berth in the NIT Tournament. Beasley declared for the 2016 NBA draft following this freshman season.

He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 19th overall pick in the 2016 draft. Beasley saw limited minutes off the bench his first two seasons but took on a larger role in his third year, averaging over 11 points in 81 games played. After three and a half seasons with the Nuggets, Beasley was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2020. He enjoyed the highest scoring output of his career in his first season and a half with the Timberwolves, averaging 19.9 points over 51 games.

In mid-2021, Beasley served 78 days of a 120-day sentence in jail related to a September 2020 firearm-brandishing incident.[4][5] In July 2023, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

High school career

Beasley at the Jordan Brand Classic in 2015

Beasley attended Saint Francis School in Alpharetta, Georgia. As a senior, he averaged 22.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks, earning the Class 1A Player of the Year of the state of Georgia and an All-State Class A First Team.[6] He attended high school with Kobi Simmons, Kaiser Gates, and Jacob Davis (Birmingham–Southern College football player).

Regarded as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com,[7] Beasley committed to Florida State over offers from UConn, UCLA, Wake Forest, Oregon, and others.[8]

College career

As a freshman at Florida State in 2015–16, Beasley averaged 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 29.8 minutes per game over 34 games.[9] He was subsequently named to the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-freshman team, and ranked eighth in the conference in free throw percentage (.813) and 10th in field-goal percentage (.471).[10]

On March 21, 2016, Beasley declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.[11][12][13]

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2016–2020)

Following the conclusion of the 2015–16 season, Beasley had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right leg.[14] Because of this, he did not participate in pre-draft workouts.[14][15] Despite having medical concerns entering the 2016 NBA draft, Beasley was selected with the 19th overall pick by the Denver Nuggets.[16] On August 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.[17] Beasley appeared in just two of the Nuggets' first seven games of the season, and managed under eight minutes of action and failed to score in those two games.[18] He had a breakthrough game on November 10, 2016, scoring 12 points in 15 minutes off the bench in a 125–101 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[19] During his rookie season, Beasley has had multiple assignments with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule.[20]

On February 1, 2019, Beasley had a career-high 35 points in a win over the Houston Rockets.[21]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2020–2022)

On February 5, 2020, Beasley was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a four-team, 12-player trade.[22] After the trade to Minnesota, Beasley received the starting job and his scoring output drastically increased. In 14 games with the Timberwolves, he averaged 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game while starting all 14 games.

On November 27, 2020, Beasley re-signed with the Timberwolves on a reported four-year, $60 million contract.[23][24] On February 25, 2021, Beasley was suspended for 12 games as a result of a guilty plea in a criminal case. At the time of the suspension, he was averaging a career-high 20.5 points per game and shooting 40% from 3-point range. The Timberwolves were a league-worst 7–26.[25]

On March 5, 2022, Beasley broke the Timberwolves franchise record for most three-pointers made in a single season, surpassing Kevin Love's 190.[26] Four days later, he made a franchise record 11 three-pointers, along with 33 points, in a 132–102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[27] On April 16, 2022, during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Beasley scored 23 points in a 130–117 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[28]

Utah Jazz (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Beasley was traded, alongside Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to Walker Kessler, four future first round picks and a pick swap, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert.[29] On October 19, Beasley made his Jazz debut, logging 15 points and five rebounds in a 123–102 win over the Denver Nuggets.[30]

Los Angeles Lakers (2023)

On February 9, 2023, Beasley was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves.[31] He made his Lakers debut two days later, recording four points and two rebounds in a 109–103 win over the Golden State Warriors.[32]

On June 29, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers declined Beasley’s team option, making him a free agent.[33]

Milwaukee Bucks (2023–present)

On July 6, 2023, Beasley signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[34] On November 16, Beasley scored a season-high 30 points during a 128-112 win over the Toronto Raptors.[35] On February 17, 2024, Beasley participated in the Three-Point Contest during the NBA’s all-star weekend, ultimately losing to his Bucks teammate Damian Lillard.[36]

Personal life

His grandfather was actor John Beasley, who played the role of Notre Dame football Coach Warren, welcoming new walk-on players to fall practice, in the film Rudy. On March 26, 2019, Malik and his wife Montana Yao had their first child.[37] They welcomed a second child, a daughter, on November 11, 2022.[38] Beasley had a brief relationship with TV personality Larsa Pippen from 2020 until 2021, after four months apart they shortly dated again on 2021.[39]

Criminal case

On September 27, 2020, Beasley was arrested for marijuana possession, concealing stolen property, and for an incident in which he brandished a firearm.[40] He was initially released from law enforcement custody but later faced charges in Hennepin County stemming from the incident.[41] Beasley pled guilty to the felony charge of making a threat of violence in December 2020 and was sentenced to serve 120 days in jail, with confinement occurring after the conclusion of the 2020–21 NBA season.[42] Beasley served 78 days of the 120-day sentence and was released in August 2021.[5]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Denver 22 1 7.5 .452 .321 .800 .8 .5 .3 .0 3.8
2017–18 Denver 62 0 9.4 .410 .341 .667 1.1 .5 .2 .1 3.2
2018–19 Denver 81 18 23.2 .474 .402 .848 2.5 1.2 .7 .1 11.3
2019–20 Denver 41 0 18.2 .389 .360 .868 1.9 1.2 .8 .1 7.9
Minnesota 14 14 33.1 .472 .426 .750 5.1 1.9 .6 .1 20.7
2020–21 Minnesota 37 36 32.8 .440 .399 .850 4.4 2.4 .8 .2 19.6
2021–22 Minnesota 79 18 25.0 .391 .377 .817 2.9 1.5 .5 .2 12.1
2022–23 Utah 55 13 26.8 .396 .359 .841 3.6 1.7 .8 .1 13.4
L.A. Lakers 26 14 23.9 .392 .353 .619 3.3 1.2 .8 .0 11.1
Career 417 114 21.9 .422 .378 .808 2.7 1.3 .6 .1 10.8

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Minnesota 1 0 28.5 .500 .429 .333 6.0 .0 .0 1.0 12.0
2023 L.A. Lakers 1 0 13.6 .667 .500 – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 5.0
Career 2 0 21.0 .545 .444 .333 3.5 .0 .0 .5 8.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Denver 14 0 20.1 .387 .404 .710 3.4 1.0 .2 .1 8.1
2022 Minnesota 6 0 19.8 .432 .320 .833 3.3 .7 .3 .2 8.5
2023 L.A. Lakers 11 0 8.3 .294 .269 1.000 .7 .2 .1 .0 3.0
Career 31 0 15.8 .380 .347 .767 2.5 .6 .2 .1 6.4

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Florida State 34 33 29.8 .471 .387 .813 5.3 1.5 .9 .2 15.6

References

  1. ^ "Malik Beasley". Basketball Reference. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Sugiura, Ken (February 16, 2016). "Alpharetta's Malik Beasley shines for FSU". MyAJC.com. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  3. ^ "2015-16 all-ACC award teams, individual award winners". USA Today. March 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "NBA's Malik Beasley Begins 120-Day Jail Sentence In Gun Case". TMZ. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Skluzacek, Josh (August 17, 2021). "Wolves' Beasley released from jail". KSTP-TV. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  6. ^ "Malik Beasley Bio". Seminoles.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  7. ^ "Malik Beasley – Rivals". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "Four-star SG Malik Beasley commits to Florida State". Sports Illustrated. September 5, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Malik Beasley College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  10. ^ "Malik Beasley now turns attention to getting ready for NBA draft". FoxSports.com. March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  11. ^ "Florida State freshman guard Malik Beasley to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Sonnone, Brendan (March 21, 2016). "Florida State's Malik Beasley declares for the 2016 NBA Draft". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  13. ^ Deen, Safid (March 22, 2016). "FSU's Malik Beasley reflects on NBA decision". Tallahassee.com. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Nee, Chris (June 7, 2016). "Malik Beasley has surgery, limiting pre-draft workouts". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  15. ^ Kyler, Steve (June 14, 2016). "NBA AM: Is Derrick Rose On His Way Out?". BasketballInsiders.com. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  16. ^ "Denver Nuggets Select Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley in First Round of 2016 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "Nuggets Sign Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley". NBA.com. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  18. ^ "Malik Beasley 2016–17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  19. ^ "Curry leads Warriors to 125–101 rout of Nuggets". ESPN.com. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  20. ^ "2016–17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  21. ^ "James Harden extends 30-point streak to 25 games in loss to Nuggets". ESPN. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Brooklyn Nets' 2020 First Round Pick from Atlanta Hawks, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez and Jarred Vanderbilt from Denver Nuggets in 12-Player, Four-Team Trade". Minnesota Timberwolves. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  23. ^ "TIMBERWOLVES RE-SIGN MALIK BEASLEY". Minnesota Timberwolves. November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  24. ^ "Report: Timberwolves re-signing Malik Beasley to four-year, $60M contract". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  25. ^ "Wolves' Beasley gets 12 games after guilty plea". ESPN.com. February 25, 2021.
  26. ^ Timberwolves PR [@Twolves_PR] (March 6, 2022). "With his second three-pointer of the night, Malik Beasley connected on his 191st three of the season, passing Kevin Love (190, 2013-14) for the most threes in a single season in @Timberwolves history. https://t.co/roHAWbV3Ea" (Tweet). Retrieved March 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Beasley sets T-Wolves 3-point mark in 132-102 win over OKC". USA Today. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  28. ^ "Timberwolves stun Grizzlies, grab Game 1 with 130-117 win". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  29. ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Center Rudy Gobert from Utah Jazz". www.nba.com. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  30. ^ "NEW-LOOK JAZZ BEAT NUGGETS 123-102 IN SEASON OPENER". NBA.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  31. ^ "Lakers trading Russell Westbrook to Jazz in 3-team, 8-player deal". NBA.com. February 9, 2023.
  32. ^ "RUSSELL SHINES IN RETURN TO LAKERS AFTER TRADE BY T-WOLVES". NBA.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  33. ^ "Lakes waive Mo Bamba, decline Malik Beasley option, sources say". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  34. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Malik Beasley". NBA.com. July 6, 2023.
  35. ^ Bucks' Malik Beasley: Tallies season-high 30 points
  36. ^ Damian Lillard wins 2024 Starry 3-Point Contest on final shot
  37. ^ "BIO — MONTANA YAO". www.montanayao.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017.
  38. ^ "NBA's Malik Beasley Welcomes Baby Girl With Montana Yao". TMZ. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  39. ^ https://people.com/tv/larsa-pippen-dating-history/
  40. ^ Walker, Mollie (September 27, 2020). "Timberwolves' Malik Beasley arrested on weapons, drug charges". New York Post. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  41. ^ Walsh, Paul (October 29, 2020). "Charges: Timberwolves Malik Beasley threatened a family with gun outside his home, pot stash found inside". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  42. ^ Skluzacek, Josh (February 9, 2021). "Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley sentenced to 120 days in jail for threats of violence; will be served after season". KSTP-TV. Retrieved February 9, 2021.

External links

Milwaukee Bucks roster
2016 NBA draft
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