Warriors coach Dejan Milojević dies after suffering heart attack at team dinner – USA TODAY
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died Wednesday after sustaining a heart attack while at a private team dinner in Salt Lake City Tuesday, the Warriors said.
He was 46 years old.
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “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. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”
The NBA has postponed Wednesday’s game between the Warrriors and Utah Jazz.
“The NBA mourns the sudden passing of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “In addition to winning the 2022 NBA championship in his first season with the Warriors and mentoring some of the best players in the world, Dejan had a decorated international playing career and was a distinguished head coach in his native Serbia. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife, Natasa, their children, Nikola and Masa, and the Warriors organization during this tragic time.”
The native of Serbia joined the Warriors coaching staff in 2021 after head coaching coaching stints in Montenegro and Serbia. He played professionally in Europe, where was a three-time Adriatic Basketball Association MVP. He won a gold medal for Serbia and Montenegro at the 2001 Eurobasket. He has also served as an assistant coach for Serbia’s national team.
He also coached a young Nikola Jokic in Serbia, long before any saw Jokic as a two-time MVP who could lead a team to an NBA championship. He was instrumental in Jokic’s development as a skilled big man.
“The hardest thing is to play simple. And even now if you talk about Nikola (Jokic) … he’s doing so many great things, but the majority, like 80% of the things that he’s doing, are fundamentals, and then he can build up on that,” Milojevic said on The Basketball Podcast in 2022.
The 18-22 Warriors lost at Memphis on Monday and then traveled to Salt Lake for the final contest of a four-game road trip. The NBA said it will reschedule the Warriors-Jazz game.
