Imagine spending your whole career guarding the opposing team's best player — Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, or Julius Erving — only to have your legacy diminished by those valuing raw statistics over the truth of the game. It's hard for legends to get their proper respect in the modern era, as Sidney Moncrief learned when Bleacher Report named arguably the greatest perimeter defender of all-time the 27th best defender in NBA history.
No shade to the Bleacher Report NBA Staff, but that's borderline disrespectful to Moncrief, who was the league's first-ever Defensive Player of the Year and one of nine players to win the award in back-to-back seasons (1983 and 1984). He also made the NBA All-Defensive Teams five times, including a second-team appearance in 1982 followed by four consecutive All-Defensive First Team selections from 1983 to 1986.
It's easy to see why Moncrief was left off the Top 25. His raw defensive counting stats didn't jump off the page at 1.5 steals + blocks combined for his career, and Moncrief had a difficult time staying in the All-Defense / DPOY conversation as injuries held him back later in his career. But that shouldn't keep him outside the top tier of this list, where he rightfully belongs.
In his prime, Sidney Moncrief was the defensive superstar that no Bucks opponent wanted to match up against.
Instead of the monstrous defensive stat lines, Moncrief's on-court impact was better qualified by the shots that opposing stars decided not to take when matched up against him. As a defender, Moncrief instilled fear in opponents' hearts and forced the ball out of the hands of some of the greatest scorers in league history, from Jordan, Bird, and Magic to Dr. J, George Gervin, and Clyde Drexler.
There aren't many players whom Michael Jordan publicly admired or gave their flowers during his playing days, but here's what he told the L.A. Times about Moncrief back in 1986:
"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.”
Similarly to Jordan, you didn't hear Larry Bird singing the praises of his opponents often, but Moncrief was one of the few who earned his respect through years of Playoff battles, telling Sports Illustrated the following in 1985:
“Moncrief does everything you’re supposed to do on defense and doesn’t take any shortcuts. Plus he does it every night.”
When reflecting on his place in NBA History, it's among the defenders where Moncrief's legacy with the Milwaukee Bucks and beyond is supposed to shine. So to see names like Bobby Jones (25), Tony Allen (23), LeBron James (22), and Anthony Davis (19) ahead of him on the all-time defender list leaves something to be desired.
It's understandable why Moncrief's name is falling behind in these discussions, but it's up to Milwaukee Bucks fans and true basketball historians to remind the general public that Moncrief was well ahead of his time and without a doubt, one of the greatest defensive players to ever grace the basketball court... and well ahead of his placement at No. 27 on Bleacher Report's list.
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