HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty mentions Sidney Moncrief was almost drafted ahead of Magic Johnson, and here’s what happened to him after the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t draft him. The sports drama kicked off by focusing on the beginning of the Showtime era of the Lakers. This included the 1979 NBA draft where the Los Angeles Lakers selected Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson with the first overall pick, changing the trajectory of the franchise. However, Sidney Moncrief was in close contention to become a Laker instead of Magic.

The Arkansas native entered the 1979 NBA draft after playing four years at the University of Arkansas. Sidney Moncrief’s time with Arkansas saw him, Marvin Delph, and Ron Brewer transform the basketball program to a premier destination in the 1980s and 1990s. The 6’4 scoring guard led Arkansas to a Final Four appearance in 1978 and is regarded as one of the college’s best players of all time, as signified with Sidney Moncrief’s jersey being retired. This successful college career understandably put him on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar for the 1979 NBA draft. He was even the preferred prospect of coach Jerry West and owner Jack Kent Cooke. However, Jerry Buss swayed the organization to take Magic, resulting in the Lakers not drafting Sidney Moncrief.

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Once the Los Angeles Lakers passed on Sidney Moncrief in the 1979 NBA draft, his professional basketball career started with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons passed on the Arkansas guard before the Bucks took him with the fifth overall pick. This proved to be a beneficial pairing, as Sidney Moncrief played the first 10 seasons of his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks, where Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar previously played. During this tenure, he became a five-time NBA All-Star and became a lockdown defender on top of his offensive talents. This led to Moncrief winning the first and second-ever Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Sidney Moncrief reached the Eastern Conference Finals three times as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, but the team never made it to the NBA Finals. Following a loss to the Detroit Pistons in the  1989 playoffs, Moncrief announced that he was retiring from the NBA. This lasted for a single season before he wanted to play again. He signed with the Atlanta Hawks and played in 72 games for them in the 1990-1991 season. This included another playoff appearance, but Moncrief’s postseason was once again cut short by the Pistons. He retired from the NBA for good at the conclusion of the 1990-91 NBA playoffs.

Unable to draft Larry Bird in 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Magic Johnson instead of Sidney Moncrief, but he still went on to have a successful NBA career. This included the Milwaukee Bucks retiring his jersey to honor his great play with the organization. While it’s intriguing to wonder what Moncrief’s NBA career would’ve been like if he went to the Los Angeles Lakers as teased in Winning Time, the team clearly made the right choice in drafting Magic Johnson first overall.

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New episodes of Winning Time release Sundays on HBO.

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Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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