The Friday edition of NYT Connections Sports Edition arrives with puzzle #746, serving up a grid that spans athletic contests, basketball history, and sporting language. The challenge is knowing when to follow a sports connection and when to look at how the words work.
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 #746:
MAGIC | KICK | BOXING | AGENT
OLYMPIC RINGS | THE LOGO | OFFENSIVE LINE | SAFETY
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS | MODERN PENTATHLON | MR. BASKETBALL | WRESTLING
BIG GAME JAMES | FENCING | LPGA MAJORS | THROW
A seemingly random collection that somehow connects into four perfect categories.
Strategic Hints (No Spoilers Yet)
Yellow Category Nudge: Think about contests where technique, timing, and physical control matter.
Green Category Clue: A little basketball history will help you read beyond the surface.
Blue Category Hint: Try treating the entries as pieces of longer sporting phrases.
Purple Category Teaser: Consider how familiar sporting features are organized, rather than focusing only on their names.
The Full Solutions
Last chance to solve independently: answers below
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Yellow (One-VS.-One Sports): BOXING, FENCING, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS, WRESTLING
FENCING, WRESTLING, BOXING, and MIXED MARTIAL ARTS fit ONE-VS.-ONE SPORTS. Each puts an individual competitor directly against an opponent.
Green (Nicknames Of Famous Lakers): BIG GAME JAMES, MAGIC, MR. BASKETBALL, THE LOGO
THE LOGO, MAGIC, BIG GAME JAMES, and MR. BASKETBALL are NICKNAMES OF FAMOUS LAKERS. The connection depends on recognizing these labels as names associated with basketball players.
Blue (Free _____): AGENT, KICK, SAFETY, THROW
AGENT, SAFETY, THROW, and KICK each follow FREE, producing free agent, free safety, free throw, and free kick. The shared opening connects terms across sports.
SAFETY and OFFENSIVE LINE invite a football connection, but they belong to different answers. Completing the phrase with FREE gives SAFETY a more precise home.
Purple (Made Up Of Five Parts): LPGA MAJORS, MODERN PENTATHLON, OFFENSIVE LINE, OLYMPIC RINGS
OLYMPIC RINGS, OFFENSIVE LINE, MODERN PENTATHLON, and LPGA MAJORS are all MADE UP OF FIVE PARTS. The shared count is five rings, five offensive linemen, five disciplines, and five major championships.
The Verdict
Yellow offers the clearest starting point, while green rewards recognition of Lakers history. Blue contains the tempting detour, because SAFETY can pull your attention toward OFFENSIVE LINE before the shared phrase emerges.
Purple is the streak test here. Connecting OLYMPIC RINGS with LPGA MAJORS requires a shift from sporting subject matter to the number of parts, making it the grid's sharpest leap.
Reset and Repeat
Today's five-part connection is a useful reminder to count what an entry represents when its sport offers no clear route. Come back tomorrow with that extra angle ready for a fresh grid.
For now, puzzle #746 is solved. See you at midnight for the next round.
