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Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, but fun if you know athlete nicknames. If you're struggling with today's puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn't appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic's own app. Or you can play it for 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: You might call this person an ace.
Green group hint: Combat sport vocabulary.
Blue group hint: Slangy monikers for specific hoopsters.
Purple group hint: Not Ms. or Miss.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A team's best player.
Green group: MMA terms.
Blue group: Nicknames of former NBA players, with "the."
Purple group: Mr. ____.
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 April 9, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is a team's best player. The four answers are centerpiece, headliner, lead and star.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is MMA terms. The four answers are armbar, choke, clinch and submission.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is nicknames of former NBA players, with "The." The four answers are Answer, Big Dipper, Matrix and Truth.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is Mr. ____. The four answers are 3000, Hockey, Met and October.
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.
#1: Serie A Clubs. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.
#2: WNBA MVPs. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.
#3: Premier League team nicknames. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.
#4: Homophones of NBA player names. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.