Detroit Pistons

NBA player Malik Beasley entered a not guilty plea at an arraignment in his gambling case on Wednesday ... and his attorney made it clear they're going to fight to clear his name.

The former Detroit Pistons guard went before a judge in a New York courtroom ... where he was officially informed of his charges -- conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Beasley wore a blue suit for the occasion ... and appeared to be in good spirits, all things considered.

NBA player Malik Beasley has been indicted on federal gambling charges in connection to a sports betting scheme, his attorney announced Monday.

The 29-year-old is currently working with the government to voluntarily surrender, according to Shams Charania ... who also reported the matter is related to point shaving and prop bets.

The NBA launched an investigation into Beasley after a sportsbook detected unusual betting interest on his stats in January 2024 ... and his lawyer, Steve Haney, said the hooper was fully cooperating with the probe.

The Pistons are in great shape to make another run in 2027 ... so says Detroit legend Ben Wallace, who tells TMZ Sports Motor City is ready to take the next step with more experience.

Cade Cunningham and Co. earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference after a 60-22 regular season record ... but fell short in the postseason, getting eliminated in the semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Big Ben has found a silver lining ... saying all the guys have to do is refocus and remind themselves that even the top dogs can lose in the playoffs.

50 Cent and Eminem just gave fans a full on nostalgia moment ... reuniting courtside in Detroit like it was the early 2000s all over again.

The hip-hop heavyweights and longtime friends were spotted at Little Caesars Arena for Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals Tuesday night, where the Detroit Pistons battled the Cleveland Cavaliers.

50 and Em were seen laughing, chopping it up, and soaking in the action and once they hit the jumbotron, the crowd erupted with social media quickly following suit over the rare public reunion.

The chaotic brawl that went down during the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets game has resulted in hefty suspensions for several players ... including Isaiah Stewart, who was handed a seven-game ban.

James Jones, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, announced the penalty on Wednesday ... days after players threw hands during a fight in the matchup at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Stewart -- the Pistons forward who left the bench area to fight in the on-court brawl -- was hit with the most severe punishment, with Jones noting it was "based in part of his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts."

Monday night's showdown between the Hornets and Pistons descended into chaos after a wild brawl broke out on the hardwood ... resulting it multiple players being ejected, after coaches and officials were finally able to restore peace!

It all went down with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter after Hornets forward Moussa Diabate was fouled by Jalen Duren. The two then went chest-to-chest ... before Duren put his hand in Diabate's face and shoved him away.

Diabate then lunged at the Pistons' third-year veteran, taking a swing at him as players and coaches tried to restrain him. He eventually broke free and tried to put hands on Duren, but was pushed back toward the baseline.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call made regarding Elden Campbell's death ... with a man telling the operator he spotted something washed up on the shore that "looks like a human body."

In the audio, the caller sounded confused about what he initially saw on the beach on December 1 ... but after zooming in on his camera, he told the operator, "It looks like a dead person on the floor."

When police arrived, we were told they found Campbell's body alongside a jet ski on the beach around 8 PM ... and he was pronounced dead at 8:03 PM.

While Malik Beasley is no longer a target of a federal gambling investigation, the NBA is doing its due diligence into the serious allegations involving the free agent guard.

The league told ESPN it is conducting its own probe into Beasley after a sports book detected unusual betting interest in his stats in January 2024.

While it's unclear how long the league has been looking into the 28-year-old ... the outlet cited a source that said the process is "believed to be in its final stages."

Malik Beasley can breathe a sigh of relief on Friday -- the hooper's lawyers say he is no longer a target in a federal gambling investigation.

Steve Haney and Mike Schachter told ESPN that after extensive conversations and meetings with the Eastern District of New York, Beasley was given the all-clear. As we previously reported, this all started after a sports book detected unusual betting interest in his stats in January 2024.

The 28-year-old was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks that season. In 79 games for the squad ... he averaged 11.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Babyface Ray has been an integral part of Detroit's hip hop stock rise in the past few years and he isn't being humble about his contributions ... he's carving his own name on the 313 Mt. Rushmore!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Babyface Ray outside LAX this week and he tells us he fits all the criteria to be immortalized in his city -- along with Eminem, Big Sean and the late Blade Icewood for his Mt. Rushmore picks.

And just like Sean, Ray's also delusional hopeful that the Lions and Pistons will win championships next year!!! Gotta root for the home team.

While Babyface did acknowledge Detroit would need a few hundred Mount Rushmores to properly honor its music history, he reveals he's excited to hear from a most valuable transplant ... Pistons star player Cade Cunningham!!!

Ray says he and Cade have a mutual studio engineer and he's been told the stuff in the vault has been fire ... so it's only a matter of time before they cross-over styles.

Jalen Brunson's game-winning shot to send the Knicks to the second round of the NBA playoffs sent New York into a frenzy ... including former star Stephon Marbury -- who went bonkers over the massive victory!!

The Brooklyn native went live on his Instagram for the final few minutes of the Knicks' Game 6 matchup against the Detroit Pistons ... and we're happy he did -- 'cause the reaction was priceless.

Like the rest of New York, Marbury was on Cloud 9 when Brunson hit the go-ahead three-point shot with 4.3 seconds to go ... and he couldn't contain his excitement.

Detroit is riding high after snapping its 15-game playoff losing streak against the New York Knicks on Monday ... but former Piston Ben Wallace tells TMZ Sports the current squad isn't a bunch of "Bad Boys" -- they've earned their own identity!!

We caught up with Big Ben out at LAX on Tuesday ... and while he knows there's a ton of basketball left, he believes his old team can pull off the first-round upset with the series tied at 1-1.

"The guy's been playing well," he said. "The guy's playing hard, playing together. We're gonna go out there and just see what happens. I think the guys are excited about being out there, being able to be back in the playoffs. We know anytime getting to the playoffs, anything's possible."

Josh Hart asked and he received -- Suni Lee returned to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks' playoff game ... but unlike her last visit, the Knicks fell short this time around.

Game 2 of New York's first-round series against the Detroit Pistons went down on Monday ... and the stunning six-time Olympic medalist had a courtside seat for the matchup.

Her appearance comes after Hart jokingly pleaded for her return in a convo with Jalen Brunson on their "Roommates Show" podcast ... when he claimed their teammate, OG Anunoby, plays better when she's present -- after all, he had 32 points when she observed his game on April 6.

Life can be hard as an NBA rookie ... a lesson 22-year-old Bobi Klintman learned the hard way -- after his Pistons teammates FILLED HIS CAR WITH POPCORN!!!

The night started out swell for Klintman ... his squad earned a big win over the New York Knicks in Detroit. But, things were about to take a turn.

As the 2nd round pick made his way to the players' parking lot at Little Caesars Arena, Jalen Duren began filming (the first clue something was up). When Klintman got to his matte Mercedes Benz SUV and opened his passenger side door, popcorn spilled out EVERYWHERE.

The NBA just handed down several punishments in relation to Sunday's Pistons vs. Timberwolves brawl ... with Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart getting the the stiffest penalty.

NBA Executive VP and head of basketball ops Joe Dumars announced the consequences of the scuffle on Tuesday ... saying Stewart is banned two games for "escalating an on-court altercation," adding his history of "unsportsmanlike acts" played a role in the length.

A handful of one-game suspensions were also shelled out for Detroit's Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser ... as well as Minnesota's Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo.