MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Bucks' future looks bright, but before most of the current players were even born, winning was a tradition. No player epitomized that more than Sidney Moncrief, who's still scoring some of the biggest points of his life.
The Milwaukee Bucks upset all the so-called experts by becoming just the 10th team in history to go from the league's worst record -- a franchise low 15 wins last year -- to making the playoffs this season.
You know that makes Sidney Moncrief proud. The Bucks legend was a five-time All-Star from 1982 through 1986. Sir Sid, as he was known, was the heart and soul of Bucks teams that had the third best winning percentage for the decade behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.
Today, the 57-year-old Moncrief, a former Milwaukee assistant coach stays close to the game as a Bucks TV analyst.
"Well I love doing the ball games. I like the fact that I can talk about them like I'm a fan," Moncrief said.
Last month, Moncrief spoke to a group of scholar athletes at Turner Hall Ballroom who were part of the Bucks prep series presented by the Majerus Family Foundation, which awarded $5,000 scholarships to six seniors -- selected after getting recommendations and writing essays.
Of course, the late Rick Majerus was a great college coach. Sid's speech honored the Milwaukee native and Marquette University grad. The theme was "sipping from the cup of greatness -- the ability to separate, impact and perform."
"Of all the people I know, Rick Majerus did all three of those as well as anyone, and the young people tonight need to know that if you're going to be successful in life, it's not about money. It's all about separation, impacting and performing for the sake of other people, and when you think about Rick Majerus, you think about the legacy that he's left with his former players -- the people that he's touched," Moncrief said.
Moncrief grew up in a segregated government housing project in East Little Rock, Arkansas. He took the right path in life in large part because of a mother who worked hard and gave him love -- at times, tough love.
"Even though it was a single-family household, I had a very strict family life that demanded that I respect other people, that I worked hard. I just continued to evolve and develop into that type of person because of my home life and then coaches like Rick Majerus who gave me the discipline and focus to do good things on the basketball court," Moncrief said.
Life hasn't been a slam dunk for Moncrief, but he's learned something of great value through hard times as well as good times.
"What life has taught me from having money, losing it all and then gaining back something of viability financially is that life goes beyond what you accumulate. Life is totally squared on helping other people and being content with your life and being happy with what you do in life," Moncrief said.
Moncrief is in a good place that way -- as were the student-athletes who listened to his heart-felt message -- some of whom earned scholarships thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks Majerus Family Foundation.
Moncrief is also involved in team enhancement programs. He teaches corporations how to win together. Moncrief and his Bucks teammates did plenty of that.