Weekend Hot Reads....

ESPN.com's Zach Lowe wrote former NBA Creative Dir Tom O'Grady "sifted through his archives, and unearthed a treasure" in the mock-ups the Nets came up with nearly two decades ago when they almost changed their name to Swamp Dragons. O'Grady: "In the 1990s, this wasn't so insane. It was all about bright colors, and bold fashions." Former Nets President Jon Spoelstra, who was hired to change the team's marketing effort, said, "We had no redeemable history. We had never won anything. ... The team never had a chance with that name." Former Nets Dir of Merchandise & Product Development Billy Paige: "It was so cool. It would have gone global."

The N.Y. Times' Joe Nocera wrote under the header, "The NFL Has Seen The Future, And It Is WWE Wrestling." What got Nocera "thinking about WWE's business model was the news earlier this week that the NFL had sold the streaming rights for 10 Thursday night games to Twitter." What the NFL is "doing is not all that different from what WWE has done with its digital app." BTIG Research Analyst Brandon Ross said, "Sports is what keeps people coming to television." Nocera: "Until it doesn't."

Elsewhere:

• A closer look at the details involved in LeBron James' Nike shoe deal.
• Did the MLB Cardinals' Ballpark Village close a "beloved downtown restaurant?"
• The Phillies' groundscrew had a "field day" at a recent game.
• The number of arm injuries among young baseball players is "alarming."
• Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan's new book, "The Arm," is "a must-read."
• The history behind why gender pay divide is "so wide in professional golf."