Many described Michael Beasley as one of the most talented players they had ever seen. The Miami Heat felt the same way when they decided to draft him with the No.2 overall pick in 2008. But Beasley never fulfilled his potential.
Looking back, he regrets not listening to Heat president Pat Riley 's advice when he first got to Miami because that's where all his troubles began.
"If I did it all over again, I would've listened to Pat Riley. Pat Riley told me to get a condo, get two bedrooms, one for my mom when she's coming to town, and everybody else figure it out. I went the polar opposite, and my excuse to him was I grew up in an apartment and I needed some space," Beasley said.
Beasley signed a three-year rookie deal worth $14 million with the Heat, with a third year a team option. Being from Maryland, Riley advised him not to spend a fortune on his accommodation. However, Beasley insisted and bought a six-bedroom mansion. He also purchased three dogs and had four friends live with him in his huge residence. It turned out to be a big mistake.
After getting into financial trouble, Beasley started making personal mistakes. That led to his exit in Miami and Minnesota , where he was traded.
When he got to Phoenix , the late Lance Blanks, the Suns ' GM, gave him the same advice as Riley after he signed a three-year $18 million deal with the team in 2012. But he still did not listen.
"I thought it was intrusive. But Lance Blanks literally came to my house. He moved me out my house, and moved me into a condo right across the street from Phoenix. But then he moved somebody in there to like keep an eye on me. That's the same thing Pat did. Pat got me a condo, and he kept somebody outside the front door to make sure he was clocking me. And that part made me feel like I was in a cage. But at the same time, I wish I listened to them, cuz they just wanted me to lock in and just hoop," he added.
Beasley lasted only one season in Phoenix. After that, he got a second chance from Riley before bouncing around the league until 2019.
Despite his supreme talent, Beasley's NBA run ended when he was just 30 years old. He continued his career overseas, but the struggles continued, so much so that he became homeless from 2021 to 2023 and slept in his car.
"I went from crying for help to trying to help myself. Like everybody that's on my line now and everybody want to like… I don't want, I don't like you. Like my stomach was growling and tomorrow came. I was hungry by myself, and tomorrow came. I don't like you. I don't have to like you. I like me. I like me that much. Because I was there for me. God, right? Every fu—ng day, every fu—ng dribble, every time, every DM and this is why I don't like y'all saying my name. Because when I was there, I was… all of you DMs, everybody. I see hurt. But tomorrow came. I couldn't let the sun beat me," Beasley said .
Fortunately, Beasley found his place in Ice Cube's BIG3 league. Since joining in 2023, he's seen tremendous success there — he's won back-to-back MVPs in 2024 and 2025 and led his team, Miami 305, to the 2025 championship.
And although he may not be as well off today as he should have been if he had listened to Riley, Beasley no longer sleeps in his car and has just won $1 million cash for the BIG3 title. Not to mention the $100K he recently won for beating Lance Stephenson in a one-on-one game.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
