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Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a real stumper of a purple category. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Golden State.
Green group hint: Sports TV.
Blue group hint: Michigan man.
Purple group hint: Sounds like…
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: California NBA teams.
Green group: In a “SportsCenter” broadcast.
Blue group: Coached by Jim Harbaugh.
Purple group: Homophones of Cy Young Award winners.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 16, 2026.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is California NBA teams. The four answers are Clippers, Kings, Lakers and Warriors.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is in a “SportsCenter” broadcast. The four answers are anchor, chyron, highlights and ticker.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is coached by Jim Harbaugh. The four answers are 49ers, Chargers, Michigan and Stanford.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is homophones of Cy Young Award winners. The four answers are Burns, Coal, Cologne and Sail.
