ORLANDO, Fla. -- John Wall was at the G League Winter Showcase last year, trying out, hoping to get back in the game. He did the same thing this year, without stepping foot on the court.

Or — in the case of Janet Gutierrez and Katy Cadman — lay that magical X tile on a triple letter score ... lifting her head from a recent lunchtime Scrabble battle with Cadman at D6 Table ...

Nigel Richards could barely exchange pleasantries in Spanish when he arrived at a Scrabble tournament in Spain last month, his competitors recalled. Despite hardly speaking the language ...