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Bagel #20 8/2
Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander Owns the Biggest Paycheck in North American Sports
— Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander just had a 2025 NBA season for the ages. MVP, Finals MVP, scoring champ at 32.7 PPG — then led OKC to a historic title. The reward? OKC rushed to sign him to a 4‑year, $285M super‑extension, giving SGA the highest annual salary across all leagues in North America. Meanwhile, in the WNBA, top earner Jackie Young makes just $252K. With no new CBA, players are pushing for better pay. At the All‑Star Game, WNBA players sent a message during warm‑ups, wearing shirts that read: “Pay us what you owe us.”
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Bagel #21 8/3
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular team on social media.
— In 2024–25, the Lakers averaged 45.5K engagements per post — the highest across all four major leagues. They also boast the largest social media following, with 63.8M followers. Los Angeles’ MLB team, the Dodgers, ranked second in engagement per post across all leagues, followed closely by the Philadelphia Eagles and Golden State Warriors. Based on data from STN Digital, the NFL and NBA generated 82% of top content by total engagements.
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See our previous newsletters Bagel #21 8/3
The Los Angeles Lakers are the most popular team on social media.
— In 2024–25, the Lakers averaged 45.5K engagements per post — the highest across all four major leagues. They also boast the largest social media following, with 63.8M followers. Los Angeles’ MLB team, the Dodgers, ranked second in engagement per post across all leagues, followed closely by the Philadelphia Eagles and Golden State Warriors. Based on data from STN Digital, the NFL and NBA generated 82% of top content by total engagements. Bagel #20 8/2
Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander Owns the Biggest Paycheck in North American Sports
— Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander just had a 2025 NBA season for the ages. MVP, Finals MVP, scoring champ at 32.7 PPG — then led OKC to a historic title. The reward? OKC rushed to sign him to a 4‑year, $285M super‑extension, giving SGA the highest annual salary across all leagues in North America. Meanwhile, in the WNBA, top earner Jackie Young makes just $252K. With no new CBA, players are pushing for better pay. At the All‑Star Game, WNBA players sent a message during warm‑ups, wearing shirts that read: “Pay us what you owe us.” Bagel #19 7/26
Rookie Contracts Have More Than Doubled In The Last Decade
— Rookie Contracts have more than doubled in the last decade. This year, the Dallas Mavericks signed top pick Cooper Flagg to a whopping 4-year $62.7 million rookie contract. In contrast, in 2015, first pick Karl-Anthony Towns' rookie contract was worth just $25.7M – less than half of Cooper's.
Bagel #18 7/22
Steph And LeBron Are Still The Faces Of The NBA
— Steph and LeBron still rule the league, on and off the court. In 2024–25, the Warriors guard led all NBA players in total earnings, topping both on-court salary ($55.8 million) and off-court endorsements (a whopping $100 million). LeBron James came second overall, earning $85 million off the court and $48.7 million on it. Giannis Antetokounmpo rounded out the top three. Meanwhile, stars like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid cashed in on big contracts, but lagged far behind in off-court income.
Bagel #17 5/25
French Open 2025 Purse Reaches Record $63 million plus
— The upcoming French Open - the year's second Grand Slam - has announced a record purse of over $63 million, with the men's and women's singles champions each earning close to $3 million. The tournament's prize money has now increased for four straight years following a 10% dip between 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. This year’s purse is around 64% more than that in 2021 ($38.9 million).
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Sports executives call each bagel a "morning must-read". Subscribe and find out why.
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