Sidney Moncrief
(Born 1957)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2019
Card Shown:
2016-17 Panini Grand Reserve
Upper Tier Signatures
Position: PG/SG
Height: 6’3″
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Sidney Moncrief averaged 15.6 points during his eleven-year NBA career but it is his defense that he may be best known for. Almost as if it had been created for him, Moncrief won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. He is the only guard to have ever won this prestigious award twice.
Sidney starred at the University of Arkansas in college and went on to an impressive professional career, leading the Milwaukee Bucks into the playoffs in each of his ten seasons with the team. Although the Bucks had the third highest winning percentage of the 1980s, Moncrief and his teammates were often overshadowed by the dynasties of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics that ruled the 1980s.
Awards and Honors
- While playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Sidney was named an NCAA AP All-American in 1977-78 (Third Team) and 1978-79 (First Team). In 1978, he led Arkansas into the NCAA Final Four.
- Moncrief was a five-time NBA All-Star, selected in consecutive years from 1982 through 1986.
- Sidney received NBA All-Defensive First Team honors four times, All-Defensive Second Team once, and was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year in 1982-83 and 1983-84.
- Moncrief was named All-NBA First Team once and All-NBA Second Team four times during his career.
- The Bucks retired Moncrief’s number 4 jersey on January 6, 1990. On March 3, 1990 his number 32 jersey was retired by Arkansas.
Points of Interest
- Sidney was drafted by Milwaukee with the fifth pick in the first round of the 1979 NBA Draft. He played for the Bucks for ten of his eleven years in the league.
- Moncrief has said that his best basketball memory was when his Arkansas team defeated UCLA in the second round of the 1978 NCAA tournament. The 74-70 Arkansas victory against a top basketball program put them “on the map.”
- On February 13, 1978, Sidney was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine while playing for Arkansas. The photo shows an intense Moncrief about to flush a two-handed dunk. He would appear on the Sports Illustrated cover one more time, this time in a Bucks uniform.
- Sydney’s passion for defense began with the teaching of his Little Rock Hall High School coach Oliver Elders, and was supported by the defensive mindset of Arkansas coach Eddie Sutton. According to Moncrief, if Sutton held a four-hour practice, three hours of the time would be spent on defense.
- Moncrief finished his NBA career with averages of 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
Statistics
Sidney Moncrief Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com