(SPECTRUM NEWS) -- Milwaukee Bucks legend Sidney Moncrief has a unique perspective on race in America.

From growing up and facing discrimination in Little Rock, Arkansas to a Hall of Fame basketball career, to a ceiling-busting businessman. In an interview with Spectrum News 1, Moncrief described his emotions when he first saw the George Floyd video.

“Anguish. A lot of anguish and frustration and it was just very difficult to watch. You wonder how could someone do this to another human being, but more importantly, how could people watch the other police officers? How could they watch this take place? It was very frustrating to watch.

Moncrief is optimistic about the future because he sees this as a tipping point.

“I think so. I really feel that anyone that says things have not progressed is really being unfair to what has happened over the last 40 years...We certainly have made progress in the area of diversity, inclusion and equity. Certainly there's a lot more to be made. The problem is people tend to make decisions over their actions dictate so much in our society in the visual that we get when something negative happens it blocks out all the positive progress that has been made.”

Moncrief sees the biggest change needed coming from inside of people. “People's hearts, people's hearts really need to change. It's okay to have biases we all have biases we know you shouldn't ever indict someone for how they view something, because that's normally a product of how they were raised what they've seen on TV or what is on social media. So, biases are very easy to have and they are acceptable, but when you start putting those biases into action and then they become prejudice and prejudice becomes discrimination--then he goes to harassment. What is the people issue I hope everyone understands that it's not the systems can be changed, but until we start getting people to understand the value of a human life or person--and that we're here to support love each other then it's going to be a little difficult road moving forward.

Moncrief spent a few days in Milwaukee last week helping conduct a workshop at Employ Milwaukee. He wants to pass the lessons he’s learned on to the next generation. “The message I would give them is to continue to have grit don't give up on your dreams your hopes, if you see something work to change something that you think it's not fair I think that's very important and don't be a bystander. Don't have the spirit of indifference to everything that happens in our society engage one another and work together to change this world and to make it better. I think we can do that.”

In part two of our interview with Sidney Moncrief, he shares personal stories of racism and how he’s tried to change the business world.