When you think of hard-nosed defense, All-Star appearances, and a legacy that defined a generation of Milwaukee Bucks basketball, you think of Sidney Moncrief. A five-time NBA All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Moncrief was the epitome of consistency on the hardwood.
Recently, I caught up with the Hall of Famer on the Scoop B Originals Presents: The Freezeout Documentary and the conversation? All things 1985 NBA All-Star Game.
Held inside the cavernous Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, that game has lived in NBA lore — not just for Ralph Sampson’s MVP performance or for showcasing stars like Magic, Bird, and Dr. J — but because of whispers that Michael Jordan was frozen out in his first All-Star appearance.
But for Moncrief? He wasn’t paying attention to that. At all.
“Not a lot,” Moncrief told me when asked what he remembered about that weekend. “I know it was in Indianapolis, correct? I remember having a number of guests from Arkansas — friends and family — more at this particular game, more for the fellowship during the weekend more than the game itself. And I remember being detached like I was for most All-Star Games, being distracted because I wanted some rest as opposed to playing a game during the weekend. But beyond that, that’s all I remember… Of course, they were playing in a bigger stadium back then. It was a big venue… The Hoosier Dome! I do remember that it was in a big space!”
One of the stars of that 1985 affair was Ralph Sampson — then in his second year with the Houston Rockets. The 7-foot-4 tower from Virginia scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds en route to MVP honors.
But did that performance leave an imprint on Moncrief?
“Let me just tell you right now… not very much at all,” he said. “Like, I’ve played so many games over my career, and All-Star Games don’t really stick out in my mind so much — and certainly individual performances don’t stick out. So I don’t remember. I don’t remember someone being frozen out. I don’t remember a conspiracy or watching the game saying, Wow. He was open and they’re over here playing buddy ball… I just don’t recall any of that.”
What about the “freeze-out” theory that’s hovered over the game for decades — the idea that Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and others may have deliberately iced Jordan out of offensive sets?
“Years after I played. When I was retired. And when I say years, I mean YEARS!” Moncrief emphasized. “15, 20 years after I retired; maybe 20 years that I’ve heard that deal between Isiah Thomas and Michael or some other players. Otherwise, I would’ve never theorized that someone could think that was happening based on me watching the game — I wasn’t watching it like that. But yeah, it was about 20 years after I retired.”
Moncrief, widely regarded as one of the greatest perimeter defenders of the 1980s, said defense wasn’t out of the ordinary in those All-Star exhibitions — but the intensity wasn’t memorable either.
“We normally played defense in those games, so it wasn’t anything special. I only played in five, but I just don’t remember a time where you couldn’t risk — and that didn’t stick out.”
And what about young MJ? Was there any interaction, anything that stood out?
“I don’t remember!” Moncrief admitted. “Because back then, you didn’t have those types of relationships like you do now. Back then, we didn’t have AAU basketball where we were playing against those guys — and possibly with those guys — from the time that you were in high school… maybe junior high school in some cases. But back then, which means you didn’t have those close relationships other than a couple of guys like Magic and Isiah Thomas. That was a special relationship. But in general, you were on your own. Isolated. Not a lot of conversations with guys. Maybe just a normal ‘Hello. Hi, how are you doing?’ …but not a lot of other conversations.”
Still, while Sidney didn’t experience a so-called freeze-out, he acknowledged how cliques and locker room politics could — and still can — exist in basketball.
“I think you could,” Moncrief said, referring to the idea of players intentionally excluding others from plays. “If you’re hanging with some guys and you have this conspiracy or dislike of a certain player, you could do that in high school, junior high school, college — and I’m sure you can do it in the NBA! So I’m not saying it’s not in the realm of possibility that it would happen, but I didn’t sense that was happening.”
There were storylines surrounding Larry Bird, Dr. J, and Isiah Thomas that weekend, too — the latter of which suffered an injury during the game. But again, not something that etched deep into Moncrief’s memory.
“I remember reading that after the fact, but I wouldn’t have ever known if someone hadn’t told me earlier,” he said. “And I think I had this conversation with someone else about three years ago; they said, ‘Well, he [Isiah] got hurt…’ and I said, ‘I didn’t know!’ All-Star Games don’t stick out in my mind on that level.”
BONUS: Isiah Thomas speaks on Jerry Krause’s legacy
While we’re on the subject of the ’80s, I’d be remiss if I didn’t drop this gem from Isiah Thomas — who, despite longstanding tension with Jordan and questions about his role in the 1985 All-Star Game, had high praise for one particular Chicago sports figure: Jerry Krause.
“Jerry Krause is the best general manager in Chicago sports history,” Thomas told me. “There’s nobody else as an executive who brought six NBA Championships to the city of Chicago. Name me somebody else who was better! I’m from the West Side of Chicago, and when I was a kid, Jerry Reinsdorf and his staff were always kind to me. They used to sneak me and the kids from the neighborhood into the arena. They treated me like family. I love how Jerry Reinsdorf treated young people — and when I became a pro, it was even cooler.
“In addition to Krause, I also appreciated the work of Rod Thorn and Joe O’Neil. When there was pressure for the Bulls to leave the West Side and move to the suburbs when I was a kid, the Bulls stayed put. That’s pressure — and I always appreciated that they stayed. I still have close family, relatives, and friends that work for the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Bulls have been exceptional to my family for years, and I’m thankful for that.”
Final Thought:
Time often rewrites history. But for Sidney Moncrief, the 1985 All-Star Game wasn’t a grand spectacle or some behind-the-scenes soap opera. It was a quick stop in a long NBA journey. And while fans and media still debate the Jordan freeze-out, for Moncrief?
It was just another weekend… played inside a dome… in a really big space.
