NYT Connections: Sports Edition for December 2, 2025 (#435)

NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints & Answers for Dec. 2, 2025 (#435)

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition (#435) is a challenging mix of football, basketball, hockey, and sports nicknames — making it one of the more varied puzzles of the week. If you’re finding it tough to sort the 16 terms into the correct four categories, this guide offers structured hints and the full solution set.

This edition is published by The Athletic, not inside the regular NYT Games app. You can play it via the Athletic app or free online, but our TechBoltX daily guides help you solve it faster with organized hints and fully verified answers.

Hints for Today’s Sports Edition Groups (Easiest → Hardest)

???? Yellow Group Hint: Volunteer State sports.

These answers relate to teams in Tennessee.

???? Green Group Hint: NFL division.

All four words represent teams in the AFC South.

???? Blue Group Hint: Hoops stars.

This group contains NBA No. 1 draft picks.

???? Purple Group Hint: Monikers for certain Josephs.

These are well-known “____ Joe” nicknames.

✔️ Today’s Sports Edition Answers

???? Yellow Group — Teams in Tennessee

• Commodores
• Grizzlies
• Predators
• Volunteers

These represent Tennessee’s key college and pro sports teams.

???? Green Group — AFC South Teams

• Houston
• Indianapolis
• Jacksonville
• Tennessee

Each one is part of the NFL’s AFC South division.

???? Blue Group — NBA Draft No. 1 Picks

• Banchero
• Oden
• Towns
• Wall

All former top overall NBA selections.

???? Purple Group — “____ Joe” Nicknames

• Broadway (Broadway Joe – Joe Namath)
• Mean (Mean Joe Greene)
• Shoeless (Shoeless Joe Jackson)
• Smokin’ (Smokin’ Joe Frazier)

A classic but tricky nickname-based category.

FAQs – Sports Edition Puzzle Help

1. Where can I play Connections: Sports Edition?

It’s available in The Athletic app and also free on The Athletic website.

2. What is today’s hardest Sports Edition group?

The Purple group is hardest, requiring knowledge of iconic sports nicknames.

3. What type of category is the Yellow group today?

Yellow covers Tennessee sports teams.

4. Does Sports Edition follow the same difficulty pattern as regular Connections?

No — Sports Edition difficulty varies by topic and the depth of sports trivia required.