The Friday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #662, serving up a grid that spans international soccer, basketball history, superstar biography, and a final bit of lateral thinking.
What Makes Connections Sports Edition Tick
For newcomers, NYT Connections Sports Edition presents 16 sports-themed words that must be sorted into four thematic groups of four. The twist? You're limited to four mistakes, and the color-coded difficulty system (yellow being easiest, purple being trickiest) means surface-level connections often mislead.
Connections Sports Edition brings the same addictive puzzle format to the world of athletics, featuring athletes, teams, sports terminology, and legendary moments. The game's genius lies in its red herrings, words that could fit multiple sports categories but belong in only one.
Today's Grid at a Glance
Here are the 16 words staring back at you in puzzle #662:
AI | JORDAN | SLOVENIA | STARBURY
BIG TICKET | LAKERS | T-MAC | DEPTH CHART
CURAÇAO | BOW | CAPE VERDE | TENNIS RACKET
LACROSSE STICK | 77 | UZBEKISTAN | MAVERICKS
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think beyond the traditional powers and focus on nations preparing to cross a major soccer threshold.
Green Category Clue: Turn back to the NBA of the 2000s and recall the memorable monikers attached to its biggest stars.
Blue Category Hint: Build a compact profile of one basketball superstar using his national identity, team history, and jersey identity.
Purple Category Teaser: Look for one ordinary feature shared by a lineup hierarchy, two pieces of sports equipment, and an archery tool.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (First-Timers In 2026 World Cup): CAPE VERDE, CURAÇAO, JORDAN, UZBEKISTAN
JORDAN, UZBEKISTAN, CAPE VERDE, and CURAÇAO are the first-timers in the 2026 World Cup field.
JORDAN is the sharp red herring because the grid also contains two basketball-centered groups, encouraging a Michael Jordan association.
Green (Nicknames Of 2000s Basketball Stars): AI, BIG TICKET, STARBURY, T-MAC
BIG TICKET, AI, STARBURY, and T-MAC are nicknames of 2000s basketball stars.
The basketball setting is easy to spot, but LAKERS, MAVERICKS, and 77 tempt solvers toward the neighboring Luka Dončić group instead.
Blue (Associated With Luka Dončić): 77, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, SLOVENIA
SLOVENIA, MAVERICKS, LAKERS, and 77 are all associated with Luka Dončić.
The two NBA teams make this group collide convincingly with the nearby collection of basketball nicknames, while SLOVENIA and 77 provide the cleaner anchors.
Purple (Things That Have Strings): BOW, DEPTH CHART, LACROSSE STICK, TENNIS RACKET
DEPTH CHART, TENNIS RACKET, BOW, and LACROSSE STICK are things that have strings.
The trick shifts between meanings: a depth chart organizes first-string and backup players, while the racket, bow, and lacrosse stick physically use strings.
The Verdict
The World Cup newcomers offer the cleanest opening once the country names are read together, although JORDAN briefly points toward basketball.
The real trap sits between the two basketball groups, with LAKERS and MAVERICKS crowding a grid already loaded with BIG TICKET, AI, STARBURY, and T-MAC.
The strings group is the streak-decider because DEPTH CHART uses the shared idea figuratively while the other three entries make it physical.
Reset and Repeat
Today's best turn was the leap from literal strings on sports gear to the first-string language hiding inside a depth chart. Reset the grid tomorrow and look for another familiar word doing two different jobs.
For now, puzzle #662 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.
