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Sidney Alvin Moncrief (born September 21, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975 to 1979, Moncrief played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, leading them to the 1978 Final Four and a win in the NCAA Consolation Game versus #6 Notre Dame. Nicknamed Sid the Squid, Sir Sid, and El Sid, Moncrief went on to play 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, including ten seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1983 and 1984. "Sidney Moncrief." Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
His jersey was retired not long after he graduated from school and went on to the NBA, and is one of only two, along with Corliss Williamson. Moncrief was the school's all-time leading scorer until Todd Day broke his record in 1992. At 6'4", he still remains the schools leader in rebounds in a career with 1015. On November 10, 2014, Moncrief was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame. "Southwest Conference Hall of Fame: Sidney Moncrief." Texas Sports Hall of Fame. www.tshof.org. Retrieved September 17, 2015. After being honored decades earlier with an unofficial banner, on February 7, 2015, Moncrief was officially honored by Arkansas when his name was put on a banner that was hung in the Razorbacks’ new home, Bud Walton Arena.Allen. www.nashvillesportsmix.com, February 5, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015. He was the first player in Arkansas’ program history to have his number retired. Moncrief has also been inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor.
During the 1980-81 NBA season, Moncrief helped the Bucks to a 60–22 record, third best in the league, while averaging 14 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Despite the strong showing in the regular season, Milwaukee lost in seven games to Philadelphia in the conference semifinals, after coach Don Nelson unsuccessfully contested Milwaukee's 99-98 Game 7 loss for two hours and sixteen minutes, while questioning whether Philadelphia got away with a 24-second violation at the end of the game. The following year, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup, Moncrief made a running bank shot at the buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers, though the Bucks lost the series in six games.
On December 5, 1982, in a loss against the New Jersey Nets, Moncrief recorded a career-high 7 steals. On February 24, 1983, Moncrief scored a career-high 42 points, recorded 8 assists, and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 114–103 victory against the Houston Rockets. That postseason, Moncrief led the Bucks to a sweep of Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the second round, averaging 23.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, and being on the dunking end of an alley-oop pass from Brian Winters to help put away the Game 4 win. The following round, on May 14, 1983, Moncrief scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 4 steals in a Game 3 loss against the eventual champion 76ers. The Bucks would lose the series 4–1, but would be the only team to beat Philadelphia in any postseason game that year.
On November 30, 1983, Moncrief scored 25 points and blocked a career-high 4 shots in a 139–122 victory against former Bucks player Alex English and the Denver Nuggets. The following month, Moncrief recorded his first career triple-double, with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 89–83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On December 5, 1984, Moncrief and teammates Terry Cummings and Paul Pressey combined for 76 points, an impressive 67% of Milwaukee's points, in a 114–99 victory against the Detroit Pistons. A win in which The Bucks were without Coach Don Nelson, Mike Dunleavy Sr, and Charles Davis, who all suffered neck and back injuries the previous Saturday night at a Baltimore airport. Despite again finding regular season success at a record of 59–23, after the Bucks eliminated the Bulls and Michael Jordan in the first round with a 3–1 series record, Moncrief and his team would be eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by Philadelphia again.
On March 15, 1986, Moncrief played 48 minutes, the entire game, and scored 27 points along with recording a career-high 12 assists in a 125–116 regular season victory against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. That postseason, Moncrief and Milwaukee advanced past the Philadelphia 76ers in a tightly contested seven-game series. Moncrief was only able to play in three games of the series due to a heel and knee injuries but still rallied the team when he played, and the Bucks won each game he appeared, including a 113–112 victory in Game 7 at home where he scored 23 points. This meant the Bucks would reach the Eastern Conference finals for a third time with Moncrief. However, yet again Milwaukee would come up short, this time losing to the Boston Celtics.
During the 1987 NBA Playoffs, after advancing past the 76ers in the first round, on May 15, 1987, Moncrief scored a playoff-career high of 34 points in a Game 6 win against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The performance was especially notable given he was primarily guarded by fellow defensive-great Dennis Johnson. However, the Bucks would lose the series in 7 games. On May 24, it was announced Moncrief and teammates Jack Sikma, Randy Breuer, Paul Mokeski, Terry Cummings, and Jerry Reynolds would each be fined between $1,000 and $500 for their roles in an altercation in the game. Danny Ainge and Greg Kite of the Celtics were also fined. The altercation began when Ainge fouled Moncrief from behind during a fastbreak layup attempt, and no players were ejected or suspended. In arguably the last healthy playoff series of his career, Moncrief averaged 20.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
On December 23, 1988, by then frequently missing games due to knee and foot injuries, Moncrief scored 25 points, largely thanks to making 13 of 13 free throw attempts, and added 5 assists in a 113–101 victory against the Dallas Mavericks. Moncrief would retire for the first time at the conclusion of that year's postseason, an Eastern Semifinals loss to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons.
His career was hampered by a degenerative knee condition that affected the cartilage in both of his knees. Starting in 1986, he also frequently missed time due to a reoccurring foot injury.
Among Moncrief's admirers was All-Star Michael Jordan who once described his on-court intensity to an L.A. Times reporter: "When you play against Moncrief, you're in for a night of all-around basketball. He'll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it."
Another all-time great, Larry Bird, heralded Moncrief's ability to defend anyone, and said that “Moncrief does everything you're supposed to do on defense and doesn't take any shortcuts, plus he does it every night.”
On finding success covering the best guards and wing players on opposing teams throughout postseason games, from Jordan to Julius Erving, even though at 6’4” he was slightly smaller in many instances, Moncrief said “I just took it as a responsibility as much as it was a challenge. That was something I needed to do to help the team win games. I'd rather just chill on defense and get back on offense, but I didn't have that luxury."
Moncrief was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. "Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame: Sidney Moncrief." Clarity.sportsinwisconsin.com. Retrieved September 17, 2015. Moncrief was finally elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Upon retiring for the first time in 1989, Moncrief opened Sidney Moncrief's Buick, a car dealership in Sherwood, Arkansas. He also later owned a Ford dealership in Blytheville, Arkansas.
Looking back on his career in March 2021, Moncrief said "I have a greater appreciation for the accomplishments and the awards now then when I played the game of basketball. When I played the game, it was like: 'Okay. You are an All-Star. Okay, cool. You are a Defensive Player of the Year. Okay'. I never really thought about it. When you retire, and you have time to reflect upon your career, I started to have a greater appreciation for what I was able to accomplish."
On May 15, 2021, Moncrief spoke at the posthumous Hall of Fame enshrinement of his former coach Eddie Sutton.
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