NYT Connections Sports Edition Today: Hints and Answers for Thursday, April 9, 2026

Get excited—there’s another New York Times game to add to your daily routine! Those of us word game addicts who already play Wordle, Connections, Strands and the Mini Crossword now have Connections Sports Edition to add to the mix.

So, if you’re looking for some hints and answers for today’s Connections Sports Edition on Thursday, April 9, 2026, you’ve come to the right place.

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What Is Connections Sports Edition?

Connections Sports Edition is just like the regular Connections word puzzle, in that it’s a game that resets at 12 a.m. EST each day and has 16 different words listed. It’s up to you to figure out each group of four words that belong to a certain category, with four categories in total.

This new version is sports-specific, however, as a partnership between The New York Times and The Athletic.

As the NYT site instructs, for Connections Sports Edition, you “group sports terms that share a common thread.”

Related: The 26 Funniest NYT Connections Game Memes You’ll Appreciate if You Do This Daily Word Puzzle

Hints for Today’s Connections Sports Edition Categories on April 9, 2026

Here are some hints about the four categories to help you figure out the word groupings.

• Yellow: You might call this person an ace.
• Green: Combat sport vocabulary.
• Blue: Slangy monikers for specific hoopsters.
• Purple: Not Ms. or Miss.

Here Are Today’s Connections Sports Edition Categories

OK, time for a second hint…we’ll give you the actual categories now. Spoilers below!

• Yellow: A TEAM’S BEST PLAYER
• Green: MMA TERMS
• Blue: NICKNAMES OF FORMER NBA PLAYERS, WITH “THE”
• Purple: MR. _____

If you’re looking for the answers, no worries—we’ve got them below. So, don’t scroll any further if you don’t want to see the solutions!

The answers to today’s Connections Sports Edition #563 are coming up next.

Related: 15 Fun Games Like Connections to Play Every Day

What Are the Answers to Connections Sports Edition Today?

• A TEAM’S BEST PLAYER: CENTERPIECE, HEADLINER, LEAD, STAR
• MMA TERMS: ARMBAR, CHOKE, CLINCH, SUBMISSION
• NICKNAMES OF FORMER NBA PLAYERS, WITH “THE”: ANSWER, BIG DIPPER, MATRIX, TRUTH
• MR. _____: 3000, HOCKEY, MET, OCTOBER

Don’t worry if you didn’t get them this time—we’ve all been there.

Up next, catch up on the answers to recent Wordle puzzles.

Related: NYT Connections Sports Edition Today: Hints and Answers for Wednesday, April 8, 2026