Orlando Signs Hardaway for $70 Million

Orlando’s Anfernee Hardaway, who made the NBA all-rookie team last season but stayed away from training camp in a contract dispute, Saturday signed a nine-year deal with the Magic that makes him one of the NBA’s highest-paid players.

The contract, estimated at $70 million, includes an option year.

“I’m more nervous about this contract than I was about the first one,” said Hardaway, who had had a 13-year, $65-million deal that contained a clause that allowed him to become a restricted free agent after one year.

The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 16 points, 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals in his rookie season. He was six votes behind Golden State’s Chris Webber in rookie-of- the-year voting.

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The Portland Trail Blazers suspended forward Cliff Robinson, who began a contract holdout Friday, indefinitely without pay.

Tennis

Top-seeded Goran Ivanisevic defeated third-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals of the $1-million Seiko Super tournament in Tokyo.

In today’s final, the Croatian will play sixth-seeded Michael Chang, who beat Jacco Eltingh of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4.

Eighth-seeded Anke Huber of Germany rallied to beat Marianne Werdel, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, and will meet defending champion Mary Pierce in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix tournament in Filderstadt, Germany.

Pierce defeated Karina Habsudova of the Slovak Republic, 6-4, 6-1, in the other semifinal.

In Ostrava, Czech Republic, MaliVai Washington beat Czech Martin Damm, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, and advanced to the final of the IPB Czech Indoor tournament.

The fifth-seeded Washington will play sixth-seeded Frenchman Arnaud Boetsch in today’s final. Boetsch defeated Italy’s Diego Nargiso, 6-7 (8-6), 6-4, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

Motor Racing

Germany’s Michael Schumacher returned to Formula One racing and edged rival Damon Hill of Great Britain to win the pole position for today’s European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain. Schumacher, driving a Benetton-Ford, averaged 119.1 m.p.h on the 2.75-mile Jerez circuit. The Williams-Renaults of Hill and Nigel Mansell were second and third, respectively. Schumacher is coming back from a two-race suspension for ignoring a black flag at the British Grand Prix. His lead in the driver standings was cut to a single point in that time as Hill won both races Schumacher missed.

David Green won the pole position for today’s Advance Auto Parts 500 Grand National at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. . . . The National Hot Rod Assn.’s Chief Auto Parts Nationals were postponed until next weekend because of inclement weather at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis.

Miscellany

Former U.S. national team striker Jean Harbor scored on a 21st-minute free kick to give Montreal Impact a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Foxes in the American Professional Soccer League championship match at Montreal. . . . Orlando Canizales retained his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title for a record 16th time with a 12-round unanimous decision over Sergio Reyes in Laredo, Tex. . . . Dominique Dawes took the lead after the compulsories of the Women’s Gymnastics World Team Trials in Richmond, Va. . . . Bill Petersen, longtime AAU track and field and cross-country coach, whose Southern California Cheetahs held many state and national records in girls events in the 1960s and ‘70s, will be honored today at a special reunion of his past team members at Bonelli Park in San Dimas.