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Connections: Sports Edition has a fun purple category today, if you know sports abbreviations of all kinds. New York hoops fans, there’s also a category for you. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: This matters.
Green group hint: City that never sleeps.
Blue group hint: James.
Purple group hint: 11th letter.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Important.
Green group: Basketball teams in New York City.
Blue group: Famous coaches named Jim.
Purple group: What “K” could mean.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is important. The four answers are critical, integral, key and vital.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is basketball teams in New York City. The four answers are Knicks, Liberty, Nets and Red Storm.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is famous coaches named Jim. The four answers are Boeheim, Calhoun, Harbaugh and Mora.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is what “K” could mean. The four answers are kicker, kilometer, Krzyzewski and strikeout.
Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories
The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.
That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.
#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
