From Fighting Irish stars to the Class of 2025 draft picks—today’s Sports Edition puzzle covers it all. Here are your hints and complete solution.
What Is NYT Connections: Sports Edition?
Connections: Sports Edition is the athletic twist on the classic NYT Connections game, available via The Athletic. It follows the same format—16 words grouped into 4 thematic categories—but all clues are rooted in the world of sports, from pro leagues to college legends.
Hints for Today’s Connections: Sports Edition (#345)
Want to solve it yourself but need a nudge? Here are themed category hints, ranked from easiest to trickiest:
- 🟨 Yellow Group Hint: Different grades of competition
- 🟩 Green Group Hint: Hoops roles
- 🟦 Blue Group Hint: Fighting Irish
- 🟪 Purple Group Hint: Top prospects
Full Answers for NYT Connections: Sports Edition – Sept. 3, 2025
🟨 Yellow Group: Levels of Competitive Sports
These represent tiers of play across amateur and professional levels:
- COLLEGE
- HIGH SCHOOL
- PRO
- REC
🟩 Green Group: First Words of Basketball Positions
These are the first terms in standard basketball position titles:
- POINT (Point Guard)
- POWER (Power Forward)
- SHOOTING (Shooting Guard)
- SMALL (Small Forward)
🟦 Blue Group: Notre Dame Alumni in the WNBA
Four standout WNBA stars who played at Notre Dame:
- CITRON (Sonia Citron)
- DIGGINS (Skylar Diggins-Smith)
- MCBRIDE (Kayla McBride)
- OGUNBOWALE (Arike Ogunbowale)
🟪 Purple Group: Players Drafted No. 1 in 2025
These rising stars were selected first overall in their respective 2025 drafts:
- BUECKERS (Paige Bueckers – WNBA)
- FLAGG (Cooper Flagg – NBA)
- SCHAEFER (possibly football or MLB prospect)
- WARD (likely refers to top prospect in NHL or MLB)
Note: While Bueckers and Flagg are highly recognizable, Schaefer and Ward may reference top draft picks in less-covered sports or recent breakout stars.
Summary Table of Today’s Sports Edition Puzzle
| Color | Theme | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟨 | Levels of Competition | COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL, PRO, REC |
| 🟩 | Basketball Positions (First Word) | POINT, POWER, SHOOTING, SMALL |
| 🟦 | Notre Dame WNBA Alumni | CITRON, DIGGINS, MCBRIDE, OGUNBOWALE |
| 🟪 | 2025 No. 1 Draft Picks | BUECKERS, FLAGG, SCHAEFER, WARD |
