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Crosswords

The Crossword, June 8: Double Teams

A'ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat chat during a delay of a game between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat game on January 8, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois

55-Down: Vegas hoopster

|Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Don’t hide from our Monday crossword! This week's puzzle was constructed by Aidan Deshong, and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Aidan Deshong is a college student originally from Los Angeles. His greatest athletic achievement was winning his high school’s lettuce speed-eating contest

Defector crosswords, launched in partnership with our friends at AVCX, run every Monday. If you’re interested in submitting a puzzle to us, you can read our guidelines HEREThe AVCX, an independent puzzles and games outlet, invites you to subscribe, or sample the goods with a two-month free trial: "With an AVCX subscription, you get access to weekly themed and themeless crosswords, minis, cryptics, and trivia, by email or in your favorite app. We have no corporate overlord, and we publish top-flight stuff only. We also pay our people fairly, always. Check us out."

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