Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic dead at 46
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Assistant coach Dejan Milojevic helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship.
PHOTO: X/@WARRIORS
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SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic was remembered around the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a warm friend and influential mentor after his death on Jan 17 at the age of 46.
The Serbian coach had suffered a heart attack at a team dinner in Salt Lake City the previous night and died in the morning, the Warriors said.
Milojevic, who played in Spain and Turkey as well as his homeland, where he began his coaching career, joined the Warriors as an assistant in 2021. He was part of the staff on the team who won the NBA championship in 2022.
The Warriors said that “despite life-saving efforts”, he passed away in Utah, where the Warriors’ game on Jan 17 against the Jazz was postponed.
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
“This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.
“In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy.”
Teams around the league paid tribute with a moment of silence before games on Jan 17.
The Toronto Raptors’ Serbian coach Darko Rajakovic said Milojevic had been a major influence on him and many others.
“I knew Dejan since I was a teenager. He was a role model as a player, as a man, as a husband, as a coach,” he said.
Milojevic had been an assistant coach for the Serbian national team and worked during his time in Europe with a number of future stars, including compatriot Nikola Jokic, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player who led the Denver Nuggets to the title last season.
“A lot of NBA players went through his influence. He helped a lot of guys to make the next step,” added Rajakovic.
“Last time we were together, he was talking about... his dream of one day being a head coach of Serbia national team.
“Unfortunately, he’s not with us any more.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Milojevic was a “beloved colleague and dear friend to so many”.
Players paid tribute on social media, with Karl-Anthony Towns calling Milojevic’s death a “terrible loss” as Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski offered a farewell to a friend.
“You changed my life in such a short time,” Podziemski wrote. “The most important thing you ever told me was to just smile! Your joy and laughs will forever be missed.” AFP
