NYT Connections Sports Edition · #707

NYT Connections Sports Edition Hints & Answers (#707) — August 31, 2026

By Sneha Rajput·August 31, 2026

“Pull out the words that feel most like adjectives before you touch anything that looks like a name.Today's puzzle has NEW and YOUNG, both carrying history. NEW appeared in Connections #703 (Aug 27, 2026) as part of a blank-filling phrase category. YOUNG appeared in Connections #681 (Aug 5, 2026) among the last four NFL Draft number-one picks.”

NYT Sports Connections hints for August 31, 2026

Three levels of help — a definition for every word, colour-coded group nudges, and a heads-up on the traps. Skip to all answers →

Word clues

A spoiler-free definition for every word in the grid. Tap the eye on any card to reveal which colour-group it belongs to.

1 ALYSSAAlyssa Thompson, NWSL and USWNT winger — the women's soccer representative of the Thompson surname group.

2 AMENAmen Thompson, NBA forward — his name is the bait that makes solvers think of prayer, not basketball.

3 BICKERSTAFFJB Bickerstaff, NBA head coach who led the Cleveland Cavaliers and had stints with other franchises.

4 CORNERHOT CORNER — baseball slang for third base, where hard-hit balls arrive fast.

5 FINCHChris Finch, NBA head coach most associated with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

6 GREENMeans naive or untested — nothing to do with the Golden State Warriors here.

7 HANDHOT HAND — the sports phenomenon where a player seems unable to miss.

8 KERRSteve Kerr, multiple-championship head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

9 KLAYKlay Thompson, five-time NBA champion — the most famous Thompson here, which is why solvers might try to place him elsewhere on the grid.

10 NEWNew to the job, new to the sport — fresh and unproven.

11 RAWUnpolished talent — the word scouts use for a prospect who hasn't been developed yet.

12 REDICKJJ Redick, better known as a player and analyst — now head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

13 SEATHOT SEAT — where a coach sits when the team is losing and the pressure is on.

14 STOVEHOT STOVE — the off-season rumour mill for baseball trades and signings.

15 TAGETage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres centre and one of the NHL's top scorers — the most obscure pick for non-hockey fans.

16 YOUNGThe most straightforward of the four — youth implies inexperience.

Group hints

Four colour-coded groups, easiest → hardest. Every button reveals the hint, the category name, or a single word — tap only what you need.

See Hint

A rookie, a beginner, someone still finding their feet.

See Group

INEXPERIENCED

See Word

GREEN

See Word

YOUNG

See Word

NEW

See Word

RAW

See Hint

Four surnames that belong on a whiteboard at the front of a locker room.

See Group

NBA HEAD COACHES

See Word

KERR

See Word

FINCH

See Word

REDICK

See Word

BICKERSTAFF

See Hint

Three letters in front turn each of these into something sizzling.

See Group

CAN COME AFTER "HOT"

See Word

CORNER

See Word

STOVE

See Word

SEAT

See Word

HAND

See Hint

Each one is a first name that shares a famous last name.

See Group

_____ THOMPSON

See Word

AMEN

See Word

KLAY

See Word

TAGE

See Word

ALYSSA

Words the puzzle wants you to mis-group

Read these before you guess — they're the words most likely to break a streak. Tap for the trap.

1 GREEN Tap to see why this word traps.

You're probably thinking of Draymond Green — a very famous NBA name — but here the puzzle is using it as a plain adjective, not a surname.

2 CORNER Tap to see why this word traps.

You're likely reading it as a basketball term — corner three, corner pocket — but the puzzle is using it as part of a two-word phrase where the first word does all the heavy lifting, and the sport involved isn't basketball.

3 KLAY Tap to see why this word traps.

You're thinking of Klay Thompson the NBA star, which is exactly the bait — but the puzzle isn't asking you to place him among coaches. His first name is what matters here, not his position.

4 REDICK Tap to see why this word traps.

Most people know JJ Redick as a player and podcaster, but he stepped into a coaching role that makes him fit here in a way casual fans might miss.

NYT Sports Connections answers for August 31, 2026

All four groups revealed, easiest first. Each card holds the theme, the four words, and why the group works.

Y INEXPERIENCED · Yellow · easiest

GREEN
YOUNG
NEW
RAW

GREEN, YOUNG, NEW and RAW all mean inexperienced or novice. GREEN is the sneakiest — its NBA surname association (Draymond Green) pulls solvers toward the coaches category before the adjective meaning clicks.

G NBA HEAD COACHES · Green · easy

KERR
FINCH
REDICK
BICKERSTAFF

KERR, FINCH, REDICK and BICKERSTAFF are all NBA head coaches. REDICK is the most surprising — JJ Redick went from player to podcaster to Lakers head coach faster than most fans tracked.

B CAN COME AFTER "HOT" · Blue · medium

CORNER
STOVE
SEAT
HAND

CORNER, STOVE, SEAT and HAND all follow HOT to make a familiar compound word or phrase. HOT CORNER is the trickiest — it's a baseball nickname for third base, where hard-hit balls arrive fast.

P _____ THOMPSON · Purple · hardest

AMEN
KLAY
TAGE
ALYSSA

AMEN, KLAY, TAGE and ALYSSA are all first names of athletes with the surname Thompson. TAGE is the hardest — Tage Thompson is an NHL star for the Buffalo Sabres, less known outside hockey circles.

Try another puzzle

Two more NazoKai hints, ready when you are.

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