Sidney Moncrief

Sidney Moncrief
Sidney Moncrief
Born	September 21, 1957 (age 69); Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player, coach, broadcaster
Years active	1975–1991 (player), 1999–2013 (coach)
Known for	NBA player, five-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

Sidney Alvin Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. He competed at the collegiate level for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks from 1975 through 1979, guiding the team to the 1978 Final Four and securing victory in the NCAA Consolation Game against #6-ranked Notre Dame. Known by nicknames such as Sid the Squid, Sir Sid, and El Sid, Moncrief enjoyed an 11-year tenure in the National Basketball Association, predominantly with the Milwaukee Bucks. He earned five selections to the NBA All-Star and was honored with the first two Defensive Player of the Year trophies in 1983 and 1984. In recognition of his outstanding career, Moncrief was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Early life

Sidney Alvin Moncrief entered the world on September 21, 1957, in Little Rock, Arkansas.

College career

During the 1970s, Moncrief, together with teammates Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer—collectively known as "The Triplets"—and under the guidance of coaches Eddie Sutton and Gene Keady, played a pivotal role in rejuvenating the University of Arkansas basketball program. He spearheaded the Razorbacks to Southwest Conference (SWC) regular season championships from 1977 to 1979 and captured SWC Tournament titles in both 1977 and 1979. Moncrief's leadership was key in Arkansas’ journey to the Final Four in 1978 as well as their Elite Eight appearance the subsequent year. His energetic style and leadership laid a foundation for sustained success within Arkansas basketball.

Following his graduation, Moncrief’s jersey was retired—a distinction shared by only one other player, Corliss Williamson, in school history. He held the record as Arkansas’ leading scorer until 1992 and continues to hold the school’s career rebounding record with 1,015 boards. In recognition of his collegiate achievements, Moncrief was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2014. The University further honored him in 2015 by unveiling a banner at Bud Walton Arena, marking their first-ever retired number. Additionally, he is enshrined in the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor.

Milwaukee Bucks (1979–1989)

Although Jerry West expressed interest in selecting him for the Los Angeles Lakers, Moncrief commenced his NBA journey with the Milwaukee Bucks, who picked him fifth overall in the 1979 NBA Draft. His rookie season concluded with valuable contributions during critical matchups.

In the 1980–81 campaign, Moncrief played an integral role as Milwaukee achieved a league-best 60–22 record, averaging 14 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per contest. The Bucks were eliminated by Philadelphia in a contentious seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinal series. The next season featured a memorable buzzer-beater from Moncrief that clinched a playoff victory over Philadelphia, although Milwaukee ultimately lost that series.

Moncrief reached personal bests with seven steals in December 1982 and a career-high of 42 points in February 1983. During that year’s playoffs, he led Milwaukee to sweep Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics in round two, posting averages of 23.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and four assists per game before falling to Philadelphia in the conference finals.

Toward the end of 1983, Moncrief notched his first triple-double while also recording a personal best of four blocks during a game against Denver. The following season saw strong performances alongside teammates Terry Cummings and Paul Pressey despite injuries affecting roster depth. The Bucks secured a solid regular-season record but were once again ousted by Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In March 1986, Moncrief logged all 48 minutes against Chicago, tallying 27 points along with a career-high 12 assists. Although injuries restricted him to just three playoff games that year, he contributed to Milwaukee’s seven-game series win over Philadelphia before they fell to Boston in the conference finals.

During the playoffs of 1987, Moncrief scored a postseason career-high of 34 points against Boston; however, Milwaukee lost that series in seven games. An on-court altercation involving Moncrief and several teammates resulted in fines during this series.

By late 1988, injuries curtailed his playing time though he still delivered standout performances such as scoring 25 points with flawless free-throw shooting against Dallas. Following an Eastern Conference Semifinals defeat to eventual champions Detroit Pistons in 1989, Moncrief decided to retire from professional basketball.

Atlanta Hawks (1990–1991)

Following a one-season absence from the NBA during the 1989–1990 campaign, Moncrief made a brief comeback by joining the Atlanta Hawks for one final year before retiring after their playoff appearance. On May 2, 1991, he contributed 23 points in just 22 minutes during Game 4 against the Detroit Pistons, although the Hawks ultimately lost the series. The Bucks initially retired his jersey number 4 in 1990 and later re-honored it in 2008 when the Warriors—where Moncrief was a shooting coach—played at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center.

Legacy

Throughout the 1980s, Moncrief propelled the Milwaukee Bucks to achieve the third-highest winning percentage of that decade, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. Standing 6′4″, he was celebrated for his adaptability and fierce defensive skills as a top-tier shooting guard, yet he never reached the NBA Finals since the Bucks fell short in the Eastern Conference Finals. Moncrief secured consecutive Defensive Player of the Year titles in 1982–83 and 1983–84, earned five straight All-Star selections, and was named to the All-NBA first team for the 1982–83 season. He posted averages exceeding 20 points per game in four seasons and concluded his 11-year career with a scoring average of 15.6 points per game. As of 2024, he holds the franchise record for career offensive rating with a mark of 119.7.

Beginning in 1986, his performance was hindered by a degenerative knee ailment accompanied by persistent foot injuries.

Moncrief’s defensive prowess drew commendations from NBA icons like Michael Jordan, who praised his relentless defense on both offense and defense, as well as Larry Bird, who recognized Moncrief’s unwavering commitment to defense without taking shortcuts.

Despite often being slightly undersized compared to rivals such as Jordan and Julius Erving, Moncrief embraced guarding elite perimeter players as a crucial duty to aid his team’s success.

His achievements earned him induction into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, followed by enshrinement in the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998, culminating with his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Regular season

|- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |77||—||20.2||.468||.000||.795||4.4||1.7||.9||.2||8.5 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |80||—||30.2||.541||.222||.804||5.1||3.3||1.1||.5||14.0 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |80||80||37.3||.523||.071||.817||6.7||4.8||1.7||.3||19.8 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |76||76||35.7||.524||.100||.826||5.8||3.9||1.5||.3||22.5 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |79||79||38.9||.498||.278||.848||6.7||4.5||1.4||.3||20.9 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |73||72||37.5||.483||.273||.828||5.4|||5.2|||1.6|||.5|||21.7 |- |style="text-align:left;"| |style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee

|73 ||72 ||35.2 || .489 || .320 || .859 || 4.6 || 4.9 || 1.4 || .2 || 20.2

|-

|style="text-align:left;" | 
|style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee 
|39 ||30 ||25.4 || .488 || .258 || .840 || 3.3 || 3.1 || .7 || .3 || 11.8

|-

|style="text-align:left;" | 
|style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee 
|56 ||51 ||25.5 || .489 || .161 || .837 || 3.2 || 3.6 || .7 || .3 || 10.8

|-

|style="text-align:left;" | 
|style="text-align:left;" |Milwaukee 
|62 ||50 ||25.7 || .491 ||  .342  ||  .865  || 2.8 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.1

|-

|style="text-align:left;" | 
|style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta 
|72 ||3 ||15.2 || .488 || .328 || .781 || 1.8 || 1.4 || .7 || .1 || 4.7

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career 
|767 ||513 ||30.2 || .502 || .284 || .831 || 4.7 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .3 || 15.6

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star 
|5 ||2 ||23.8 || .404 || 1.000 || .864 || 4.4 || 2.4 || 2.4 || .4 || 11.6

}

Playoffs

|- |style="text-align:left;"|1980 |style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee |7||—||26.0|||.588|||0|||.871|||4.4|||1.6|||.7|||.1|||12.4 |- |-

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Arkansas–Little Rock (1999–2000)

During the 1999–2000 season, Moncrief held the position of head coach at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, concluding the year with a 4–24 record.

Fort Worth Flyers (2006–2007)

Moncrief resumed his coaching career in 2006 as the head coach for the Fort Worth Flyers, a franchise competing in the NBA D-League.

Golden State Warriors (2007–2008)

In October 2007, he returned to the NBA ranks, taking on the role of shooting coach with the Golden State Warriors.

Beijing Ducks (2009–2010)

Starting January 2009, Moncrief served as an assistant coach for the Beijing Ducks in China's Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Milwaukee Bucks (2011–2013)

From 2011 through 2013, Moncrief was part of the coaching staff as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Broadcasting career

Beginning in July 2013, Moncrief took on responsibilities as a game analyst and commentator for Bucks broadcasts on FSN Wisconsin.

Books authored

Moncrief: My Journey to the NBA (1990, co-written with Myra McLarey)
Your Passport to Becoming a Valuable Team Player: Your Travel Guide for Peak Performance at Work and Home (2012, co-authored with Kisha Wetherall)

Personal life

Moncrief is a father to four sons. His son Brett played collegiate football as a wide receiver at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and later at Troy University. Additionally, his nephew Albrey Battle had a professional career in both the Arena Football League and the XFL.

Following his initial retirement in 1989, Moncrief established Sidney Moncrief's Buick dealership located in Sherwood, Arkansas, and subsequently became owner of a Ford dealership in Blytheville, Arkansas.

Reflecting on his accomplishments in 2021, Moncrief acknowledged a deeper appreciation for his career achievements and honors than he had during his active playing years.

On May 15, 2021, he delivered remarks at the posthumous Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring his former coach Eddie Sutton.

External links