The Rockets yesterday signed G James Harden to the "richest contract extension in NBA history." Harden signed a "full designated player veteran extension," which tacks "four seasons on to the two remaining from his extension last summer in a contract worth" roughly $228M. Depending on future salary-cap figures, Harden "could be paid" close to $47M in the final season of his contract in '22-23. The $42.5M "per season he will earn when the extension kicks in will surpass" the five-year, $201M extension Warriors G Stephen Curry signed last week (CHRON.com, 7/9).

With the deal, The Rockets have "kept their best piece to draw more star power in place" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/9). Harden is "taking advantage of brand-new CBA rules that enable contract extensions for superstars." He "became eligible to add four years to his deal after making the All-NBA team in May" (ESPN.com, 7/8).

The Knicks are "progressing toward opening contract negotiations" with former Cavaliers GM David Griffin to become the team's next GM, according to sources. Griffin traveled to N.Y. this weekend "to meet with" Knicks GM and acting President Steve Mills. Sources said that Griffin is also "expected to meet" with Owner James Dolan in the near future. Sources added that Mills is "expected to move into the presidents' title." Griffin would take over the "primary responsibilities of running basketball operations." Sources said that one "potential stumbling block" to the pursuit of Griffin is the willingness of the Knicks to "allow Griffin to bring his own front office and staff" (ESPN.com, 7/9).

The USMNT and Panama played to a 1-1 draw yesterday at Nissan Stadium in CONCACAF Gold Cup play, and the crowd of 47,622 "set the record" for attendance at a soccer game in Tennessee. The crowd "won't solidify" Nashville's chance at landing an MLS expansion franchise, but the goal for MLS2Nashville co-Founder Will Alexander was to "put the city's best foot forward." Alexander: "Nashville rose to the occasion. It's a massive opportunity, and I am glad that Nashville turned out for this" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/9). Soccer writer Ryan Rosenblatt tweeted, "Nashville has given the #USMNT awesome crowds. There's a lot more that goes into getting/running a good MLS team, but I like that market."

Despite the boisterous crowds, Nashville Scene editor Steve Cavendish tweeted that Nissan Stadium was "understaffed." Cavendish: "Long lines to get into 200 levels. CONCACAF problem or @Titans? It's amateur hour." Meanwhile, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego hosts a pair of Gold Cup games this afternoon featuring Curacao-Jamaica (4:00pm PT) and Mexico-El Salvador at 6:00pm (THE DAILY).

MMA fighter Amanda Nunes yesterday "was pulled" from her bantamweight title fight against Valentina Shevchenko, the scheduled "main event" for UFC 213 last night at T-Mobile Arena. UFC President Dana White said that Nunes "was taken to a hospital for an undisclosed illness both Friday and Saturday morning after she said she didn't feel well." He said that Nunes was "cleared to fight by a doctor but was pulled because 'she said she didn't want to fight.'" It marks the "third consecutive year that the UFC has been forced to cancel the main event" of its annual Int'l Fight Week show "on short notice" (ESPN.com, 7/9). UFC 213 ticket holders can "request a full refund" since the main event was taken "off the card" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 7/9).

The interim middleweight title fight between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero, which went five rounds, "took some of the edge off" anger shown by some fans (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/9). But it was the "absence of Nunes-Shevchenko that dominated the night" (L.A. TIMES, 7/9). Overall, it was one of the UFC’s "more forgettable nights" (USATODAY.com, 7/9). UFC 213 recorded a live gate of $2.4M and attendance of 12,834 (UFC).

IOC President Thomas Bach today said that the organization "faced 'very important decisions' as the vote on awarding" the '24 and '28 Games simultaneously loomed in Lausanne. An IOC plan to award both Games together is "expected to be backed by a vote at their Swiss headquarters on Tuesday." Bach "opened a ground-breaking week for the Olympic movement" with an announcement to IOC top brass. Bach said, "We'll have some interesting days in Lausanne. Some very important decisions will be taken." Both Paris and L.A. will "present their bids to the IOC on Tuesday" (AFP, 7/9).

The Celtics-Lakers Summer League game yesterday was an "announced sellout" at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The venue holds 15,000, and it "was, other than a few upper sections, packed" for Lakers G Lonzo Ball's second game. The atmosphere "proved true the idea this annual gathering has grown to heights not otherwise imagined" (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 7/8). Yesterday marked the "first time in the 14 years that the NBA summer league has been held at Las Vegas that an entire day session at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion sold out of tickets in advance" (ESPN.com, 7/7).

Meanwhile, WNBA Mystics G Elena Delle Donne on Friday wondered on Twitter how "great would it be" if Ball "blew out" his signature ZO2 shoe in his first Summer League game. Delle Donne: "Should have gone with @Nike." Her tweet "drew 2,000 likes and 800 retweets." It also "had 459 comments, mostly negative." Delle Donne said of the tweet, "I was getting killed. Got to love it though. It was a joke." She later tweeted, "No one is rooting for the downfall of @ZO2_ you all are trying to make this something it's not. I actually like him. But not his shoes" (ESPN.com, 7/8).

Happy Valley Jam, the first-ever concert at Penn State's Beaver Stadium, "attracted about 30,000 people" for a show headlined by country singer Blake Shelton. The concert was "created in part to provide an additional revenue stream for the university's athletic department during the offseason." The lineup "also included" country musicians Chris Young, Big & Rich, David Ray and Adley Stump. Traffic to the stadium "moved well, with backups entering lots as attendants worked to be efficient with spaces in the fields east of the stadium." Inside the stadium, beer was "sold for the first time." Lines were "long but moved well" (ALTOONA MIRROR, 7/9).

Meanwhile, Florida Georgia Line played to a "sold-out house" at Fenway Park on Friday night along with Nelly and Chris Lane (TASTEOFCOUNTRY.com, 7/8). Last night, a show at Fenway featuring New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul and Boyz II Men "was halted" temporarily due to rain (NECN.com, 7/8).

Former MLBer Barry Bonds yesterday had a bronze "Wall of Fame" plaque "affixed to the outside of AT&T Park." The plaque was "unveiled in front of a throng of 700 or so fans." Baseball HOFers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey "were onstage" for the ceremony (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/9). Bonds joined 40 other Giants players who "met the basic qualifications: at least nine years with the club, or five years with an All-Star appearance." The ceremony was "long overdue, and a bit overdone for the event it marked" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/9).

World Series of Poker Exec Dir Ty Stewart announced a "10-year deal with Tencent Limited Holding to bring the WSOP brand to Asia." Asked if the move was more of a "game-changer" than when the WSOP went to Europe, Stewart said, "It’s absolutely huge. (Tencent) is the most powerful internet company in the world. Almost instantly the World Series of Poker becomes relevant across Asia, and an entire new market will hopefully buy into the same dream of the World Series of Poker and we see a Chinese champion in the not-so-distant future" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/9).

The NFLPA teamed up with ABC for an episode of "Celebrity Family Feud" tonight at 8:00pm ET/PT. The "NFLPA All Stars" will take on the "NFLPA Legends." The All Stars will play for Professional Athletes Foundation, and the Legends for Active Minds. Current NFLers Le'Veon Bell, Patrick Peterson, Derrick Johnson, Joe Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins are on the All Stars. Pro Football HOFers Marshall Faulk, Andre Reed, Anthony Munoz, Derrick Brooks and Rod Woodson represent the Legends (NFLPA). The episode also features NBA legends James Worthy, Muggy Bogues, Gary Payton, Horace Grant and Robert Horry facing off against former MLBers Ozzie Smith, Kevin Millar, Prince Fielder, Pedro Martinez and Harold Reynolds (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 7/7).

Meanwhile, Panthers QB Cam Newton will be on "The $100,000 Pyramid," squaring off against Giants WR Brandon Marshall at 10:00pm ET. The episode also features Titans WR Eric Decker against Gold Medal-winning U.S. speedskater Apolo Ohno (AL.com, 7/7).

Univ. of Tennessee AD John Currie said that UT's athletic department operating budget for FY '17-18 "will be" $133.7M (247SPORTS.com, 7/8).

Hospitality company Blockparty signed a deal with the Univ. of Missouri to "become the program's exclusive tailgating partner during the upcoming football season" (GRIDIRONNOW.com, 7/7).

Northern Arizona Univ. has selected Learfield as its comprehensive multimedia rightsholder for the next 10 years, beginning with the start of the '17-18 season (NAU).

Patriots QB Tom Brady's book on peak performance "reached No. 1 on Amazon's best-seller list" less than 12 hours after being announced Friday (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 7/8).

"As a player, I never liked the idea; as a coach, I am more open to it. And to be honest, if you look at all the coaches sitting courtside, you can easily see that coaching is happening already, even though it's not allowed" – Former Australian Open champion-turned coach Thomas Johansson, on the WTA and ATP tours possibly allowing in-match coaching (N.Y. TIMES, 7/8).

"It is a different time. Back in the day, you were not trying to tell everybody where you are and what you are doing, but now it is a part of your image. But as long as you do your job on the floor, you are fine" – Basketball HOFer David Robinson, on how social media now holds NBA players accountable for their actions (NYPOST.com 7/8).

"It is a poorly designed race car and it makes racing on tracks like this very difficult to put on the show we want to put on for our fans. ... It is time for the sport to design a new car that is worthy of where this sport deserves to be and the show it deserves to put on for its fans" – NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski, after wrecking out of the Cup race at Kentucky Speedway last night (ESPN.com, 7/8).

"He just said it's marketing. That's what he had to do to market not only his son but the brand. Before I met him I had already thought that. I already knew what he was doing" – Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, on a discussion he had with LaVar Ball about his antics before last month's NBA Draft (ESPN.com, 7/7).

Believing @katienolan is headed to @espn but wondering when. She's under contract w/ @FOXSports til end of year. Will they let her go early?

— jamesmiller (@JimMiller) July 7, 2017

According to @Ticket_IQ the get-in price for HR Derby ($178) is more expensive than All-Star Game ($159). #mlb

— David Lennon (@DPLennon) July 9, 2017

SMI didn't build this track, it bought it. The rush on 1.5-mile tracks was idea both stock cars and Indycars could run on them. #nascar https://t.co/RTElxszEVj

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 8, 2017

Watching the lines people at Wimbledon is almost as much fun as the actual play. Quite the choreography

— Tim Dahlberg (@timdahlberg) July 8, 2017

Beautiful day in Lausanne with our beautiful #LA2024 angel! #FollowtheSun pic.twitter.com/LO0PPEJziU

— Janet Evans (@janetevans) July 9, 2017

An elderly woman shown dancing on the video board between innings yesterday at Dodger Stadium "proceeded to flash the crowd." The smiling woman "quickly lifted her blue shirt, revealing a white bra underneath in the seventh inning." The camera "cut away, but it wasn't in time." There was a "collective gasp from the crowd of 45,225, many of whom began laughing." Dodgers 1B Cody Bellinger: "It was the rally granny" (AP, 7/9).

The BOSTON GLOBE writes under the header, "Title IX Is 45 Years Old, But Now What?" It is "anniversary time for Title IX." Every female athlete -- "from the girls on local playgrounds to gold medalists on Olympic podiums -- owes something to Title IX." As a symbolic force, Title IX "always has been about female athletes pushing boundaries, wanting more, and demanding better." It seems "fitting to look ahead and ask, 'What’s next?'"

The DENVER POST wrote under the header, "Like It Or Not, Dealing With Media Is Part Of Pro Athlete's Job." Fans who pay for tickets "devote big chunks of their lives to watching games on TV." They "spend their hard-earned money to buy jerseys and over-priced beer and hot dogs at the stadium and they want to know about their team." A lot of "dumb questions are asked and lots of calculated cliches are tossed back." But the bottom line is that professional sports are "big-money entertainment, and the reporter and athlete are locked in their awkward dance together."

Elsewhere: 

• A "shot in the dark pays off" for new MLB Cardinals GM Michael Girsch.
• A look back at social activism by athletes over the past year.
• Why former NFLer Gary Brackett gave up coaching to be a restaurateur.