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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one, with quite a mix of categories. 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: Volunteer State sports.
Green group hint: NFL division.
Blue group hint: Hoops stars.
Purple group hint: Monikers for certain Josephs.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Teams in Tennessee.
Green group: AFC South teams.
Blue group: NBA draft No. 1 picks.
Purple group: “____ Joe” nicknames.
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 Dec. 2, 2025.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is teams in Tennessee. The four answers are Commodores, Grizzlies, Predators and Volunteers.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is AFC South teams. The four answers are Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is NBA draft No. 1 picks. The four answers are Banchero, Oden, Towns and Wall.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is “____ Joe” nicknames. The four answers are Broadway, Mean, Shoeless and Smokin’.
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