Former Knicks forward Michael Beasley signs seven-figure CBA contract
The old saying “New York, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” certainly is true even when it comes to basketball. Playing for the New York Knicks comes with a lot of pressure and Michael Beasley did not disappoint.
Beasley played for the Knicks during 2017-18. Although his time with New York was short, he managed to make an impression on and off the court. Beasley averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds a game.
He scored 30 or more points in four games, with one of his most notable performances coming against the Houston Rockets. The Knicks were without their then leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis, but that did not stop Beasley from trying to help secure a win for the team. He scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half of the game. But despite his efforts, the Rockets still won the game.
Beasley signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018 and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in February. He was waived by the Clippers two days later and has not played in an NBA game since.
But on Sunday, NBA Insider Shams Charania reported that Beasley will return to professional basketball.
Sources: Former NBA No. 2 pick Michael Beasley is returning to professional basketball and will sign a seven-figure deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 5, 2022
Knicks fan favorite Michael Beasley will play professional basketball again
Charania reported that Beasley is expected to sign a seven-figure deal to play with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The team is known for developing NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming, who currently is the president of the association.
This won’t be the first time Beasley played for the Sharks. In 2014, he signed a one-year deal with Shanghai after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 28.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 37 games with the Sharks in 2014-15. In the CBA All-Star Game, he took home the MVP award after scoring 59 points to lead the South to a 142-123 win.
Other than playing for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2021 NBA Summer League, Beasley’s last official attempt to play in the NBA was in 2020. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets as a substitute player before the 2019-20 season restarted in the NBA bubble, but his time with the team was cut short after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Although Beasley’s attempts to return to the NBA have failed, he’ll still get to continue his dream of playing basketball professionally.
