Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Sports Nutrition
Constructor: Ryan Mathiason
Editor: Anna Gundlach
JON (29A: "Napoleon Dynamite" star Heder) Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 movie whose title character is a socially awkward high school student who lives in Idaho. JON Heder portrays the title character.
KOREA (42A: Country Buldak Ramen is from) Buldak Ramen is a brand of spicy instant noodles from South KOREA. The company's website says, "We fearlessly push limits, bringing bold, next-level heat to the table."
STEPH CURRY (17A: NBA star who has won four championships with the Warriors) STEPH Curry has played basketball for NBA's Golden State Warriors since 2009. The Warriors were NBA champions in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. STEPH CURRY holds the NBA career record for three-pointers (3117) and the record for the most three-pointers in a single season (402 in 2015-16).
MIKE TROUT (24A: MLB star who has won three AL MVPs with the Angels) MIKE TROUT has played baseball for MLB's Los Angeles Angels since 2011. He was the American League MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2019.
SERBIA (26A: Belgrade's country) Belgrade is the capital and largest city of SERBIA, a landlocked country in Europe. Belgrade is located at the juncture of the Danube and Sava rivers.
ASIA (28A: Largest continent) ASIA is nearly 1.5 times larger than Africa, the second largest continent. Our crossword friend ASIA is making its first appearance of June today, and its ninth appearance this year.
KATE (44A: Musician/comedian Micucci) KATE Micucci is the Oates half of the musical comedic-folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. (Riki Lindhome is Garfunkel.) The duo's name is derived from "two famous rock-and-roll second bananas," Art Garfunkel and John Oates. Kate Micucci also performs as a solo act and has acted in a number of movies and TV shows.
JERRY RICE (52A: 49ers star who has the most receptions in NFL history) JERRY RICE is a former professional football player. He played for NFL's San Francisco 49ers from 1985-2000. He also played for the Oakland Raiders (2001-2004) and the Seattle Seahawks (2004). He has 1,549 career receptions (covering 22,895 yards), an NFL record. Here's a fun thing. In addition to his NFL accomplishments, JERRY RICE has a name that is crossword-theme friendly. In the five years I have been blogging about the USA Today crossword, this is the fifth time JERRY RICE has been a theme answer. We also saw his name as a theme answer on June 28, 2020, June 23, 2021, September 26, 2021, and March 6, 2022.
ONO (58A: Hawaiian fish that's a palindrome) ONO is the Hawaiian name for the wahoo, a fish found in tropical and subtropical areas. In Hawaiian, "ONO" means "delicious," or "good to eat."
IOWA (61A: Corn Belt state) Hello from IOWA! I wrote about the Corn Belt three days ago when we saw IOWA clued as [State in the Corn Belt].
KELSEY PLUM (62A: WNBA star who has won two championships with the Aces) KELSEY PLUM played basketball for WNBA's Los Angeles Aces from 2017-2024. The Aces won the WNBA championship in 2022 and 2023. Beginning with the 2025 season, KELSEY PLUM is playing for WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
SKYE (68A: ___ terrier) The Scottish dog breed known as the SKYE terrier is named for Scotland's Isle of SKYE, where the breed was discovered.
POPLAR (4D: Tree in the willow family) POPLAR trees are fast-growing, making them valuable for timber production and shade. POPLAR trees are in the same family (Salicaceae) as willow trees. My cat, Willow, says, "Did someone say my name?" (I know this isn't actually a cat reference, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.)
CINEMA (49D: Bollywood business) Bollywood is a term used to refer to Hindi CINEMA. The word is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (the former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood."
MLS (64D: Seattle Sounders FC org.) Seattle Sounders FC is a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in Seattle, Washington. The Seattles were an MLS expansion team in 2009.
STEPH CURRY (17A: NBA star who has won four championships with the Warriors)
MIKE TROUT (24A: MLB star who has won three AL MVPs with the Angels)
JERRY RICE (52A: 49ers star who has the most receptions in NFL history)
KELSEY PLUM (62A: WNBA star who has won two championships with the Aces)
SPORTS NUTRITION: Each theme answer is the name of a SPORTS figure whose last name is a food.
This is a fun theme. I'd say that a meal of CURRY, TROUT, RICE, and a PLUM would be fairly nutritious. I appreciate that the four theme answers represent four different SPORTS leagues: the NBA, the MLB, the NFL, and the WNBA. And it was a fun choice to clue them all in a parallel fashion, mentioning some of their accomplishments. Thank you, Ryan, for this excellent puzzle.
USA TODAY's Daily Crossword Puzzles
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Crossword Blog & Answers for June 6, 2025 by Sally Hoelscher
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