The definitive ranking of the 24 best sports moments from ‘The Office’

Did basketball, the 5K or Office Olympics finish first?

“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”

Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24, 2005). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

We’ll start with the greatest sports moments in the show’s nine seasons. There are 24 of them in all that include a wide variety of different sports and one plotline that surrounds being a sports marketing agent (it DEFINITELY counts). Let’s count them all down:

24. Jim and Darryl join a sports agency (all of Season 9)

It’s the storyline that puts a strain on Jim and Pam’s marriage — hence why we ranked it last! — but that ultimately leads to them to move out of Scranton and to Austin, Texas. — Charles Curtis

23. Ryan Howard appears on a show that had character named Ryan Howard (“Promos” — Season 9, Episode 18)

When The Office premiered in 2005, Howard was in the middle of a season in which he would go from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finish with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning NL Rookie of the Year. The other Ryan Howard — played by B.J. Novak — was starting out quite a character arc as a temp at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. Nearly eight years later, the Phillie met with Jim and Darryl at their sports agency to pitch them an off-the-wall sci-fi script. — CC

22. Darryl, Kevin and Jim are the Big 3 (“Spooked” — Season 8, Episode 5)

Darryl is LeBron James, Kevin is Dwyane Wade and Jim — reluctantly, because he hates dressing up for Halloween — is Chris Bosh. It’s some pretty minimal effort here because they’re just wearing jerseys, but hey, they got Jim to wear a costume. — Michelle Martinelli

21. Hey, it’s Julius Erving! (“Lice” — Season 9, Episode 10)

Jim meets with Dr. J and shoots with the legend who would be a potential investor in his Philadelphia agency. It’s fun to see Jim geek out over meeting his basketball idol. — CC

20. Rollerskating (“Ultimatum” — Season 7, Episode 13)

Dwight, Darryl and Andy go on an adventure in an attempt to meet women, and they end up at an indoor rollerskating rink in the middle of the afternoon. Naturally, they practically have the place to themselves, so Andy requests Dave Matthews Band, but “no hits, deep tracks only,” which translated to Ants Marching. — MM

19. Darryl’s disastrous KD impression (“Suit Warehouse” — Season 9, Episode 11)

This is too good. Darryl’s interview with Jim’s new sports marketing company goes so well, and he’s clearly feeling good about it. But his confidence got the best of him because he pretends to be Kevin Durant and takes and misses a shot. The ball hits the rim, then a light, and both the light and ball tumble into the fish tank below, killing the fish inside. — MM

18. Jim’s lacrosse snowball FAIL (“Classy Christmas” — Season 7, Episodes 11/12)

It’s somehow satisfying to see Dwight win a prank war with Jim for once, and it includes Jim taking a lacrosse stick — turns out he played? — loading it up with an icy ball and missing Dwight with a shot, breaking a window instead. Turns out he played… badly. — CC

17. Dwight finally earns his black belt (“Livin’ The Dream” — Season 9, Episode 21)

If you know anything about Dwight, you know him finally getting his black belt — after 20 years and $150,000 spent on training — is a huge deal. And he gets it from his new instructor, Sensei Billy (Michael Imperioli). — MM

16. Creed wins Casino Night … and Kevin loses (“Casino Night” — Season 2, Episode 22)

We’ll go back-to-back with two separate moments from a classic ep (yes, poker and casino games are sports!). Creed steals a bunch of chips and ends up with the prize for the most winnings on the night: a refrigerator from Vance Refrigeration, his first fridge ever (!). Meanwhile, Kevin — a World Series of Poker bracelet winner — somehow loses a hand to Phyllis. — CC

15. Dwight thinks Jim has a “tell” (“Casino Night” — Season 2, Episode 22)

It’s a mini-prank — Jim deliberately coughs to make Dwight think he has a huge hand in poker and Dwight keeps folding when he does it. Ha! — CC

14. Deangelo’s dunking fail (“The Inner Circle” — Season 7, Episode 23)

Will Ferrell’s four-episode appearance was good, but this has to be the best way any character on the show exits. — MM

13. Joe Montana (“Dinner Party” — Season 4, Episode 9)

This is not even close to one of the weirdest, awkward moments from this episode, but Andy finds the most obscure way to describe Joe Montana while playing a guessing Charades-type game. Joe Camel and the state where Helena is the capital? Come on, Andy. — MM

12. Pam volleyball (“Company Picnic” — Season 5, Episode  28)

“Maybe I played a little in junior high. And in high school. Maybe a little in college. And went to volleyball camp most summers!”

Pam being significantly better than everyone else at volleyball leads to the other team, the corporate office, forcing her to go to the hospital when she barely rolls her ankle to get her off the court. And that leads to the heartwarming moment when she and Jim find out they’re expecting.

11. Jim’s soccer fail (“Dream Team” — Season 5, Episode 22)

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How many different ways can Jim fail to impress his new boss? After lying about liking and playing soccer to Charles Miner, he finds another one. Excellent guest star Idris Elba kicks the ball to Jim, who ducks, and Phyllis gets drilled in the face instead. — MM

10. Michael attempts to leave Dunder Mifflin with no-look hoops shot (“Goodbye, Michael” — Season 7, Episode 22)

Michael Scott GIF

“Catch you on the flippity flip!” (misses) “Flippity flip!” — CC

9. Michael checks Toby into the boards (“Michael’s Birthday” — Season 2, Episode 19)

A good reminder that Steve Carrell played hockey growing up and that Toby is the worst. Also, it’s a legal check, Scott doesn’t leave his feet. — CC

8. Michael and Dwight at the dojo (“The Fight” — Season 2, Episode 6)

All I hear whenever I think of this is Kevin’s “Sweep the leg!” — CC

7. Jim and Darryl play ping-pong (“The Deposition” — Season 4, Episode 8)

Jim is good, Darryl is better, but Kelly’s smack talk wins it all. — MM

6. The Office Olympics gold medal for Jim (“The Job” — Season 3, Episode 23)

We’re breaking this one out separately from the Office Olympics ep because Jim discovering the yogurt-lid medal Pam put in his folder as he’s interviewing for a Jan Levinson’s old Dunder Mifflin job in New York leads to the beginning of them dating. “Alright, then … it’s a date.” — CC

5. Agent Michael Scarn saves the NHL All-Star Game (“Threat Level Midnight” — Season 7, Episode 17)

I love this whole episode because Michael Scott is the only person who would spend years shooting and reshooting a movie about saving the NHL All-Star Game with a James Bond-esque villain and a subplot almost entirely lifted from The Karate Kid. Also, Dwigt. — MM

4. The whole 5K episode (“Fun Run” — Season 4, Episode 1)

There are so many great moments in this whole episode centered around The Michael Scott Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race: Andy’s Band-Aids on his nipples, Michael carbo-loading with an obscene amount of fettuccini alfredo and Andy attempting to draft off Kevin. However, the best thing about this race is Kelly putting the finish line three miles away from the office instead of mapping a circle. — MM

3. The Wayne Gretzky, er, Michael Scott quote (“Michael Scott Paper Company” — Season 5, Episode 23)

Maybe one of the most perfect images from the show ever that can be used in so many ways. — CC

2. The Office Olympics (“Office Olympics” — Season 2, Episode 3)

This is one of the best episodes in general because we see so many characters’ personalities come alive. There’s Oscar and Kevin’s paper football game (a.k.a. “Hateball”), Pam’s creativity with the decorations and yogurt-lid medals, Phyllis winning in the national sport of Icelandic paper companies and the race around the office with filled coffee mugs. And, of course, Jim’s enthusiasm for it all, a trait Pam so clearly loves:

“The thing about Jim is when he’s excited about something, like the office Olympics, he gets really into it, and he does a really great job. But the problem with Jim is that he works here, so that hardly ever happens.”

And the national anthem at the end with the doves really is an incredible moment. — MM

1. The entire Dunder Mifflin basketball game (“Basketball” — Season 1, Episode 5)

It’s all perfect — Michael calling fouls, his long free-throw routine, Jim competing with his rival, Roy, over Pam’s affection, Dwight getting buckets and Michael not, and so much more — CC

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