Warriors assistant coach dies at 46
Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a former star player in his native Serbia, died Wednesday in Utah after suffering a heart attack, the team announced. Milojevic, part of the staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship, was 46.
Milojevic died in Salt Lake City, where he was hospitalized after the medical emergency happened during a private team dinner on Tuesday night. The Warriors had been scheduled to play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, a game the NBA postponed.
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” coach Steve Kerr said in a statement released by the team. “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.”
Milojevic was in his third season with the Warriors. He previously coached in Serbia — where he once worked with Jokic before the nowNuggets star came to the
United States — along with Montenegro. He had been a head coach for eight years in Europe and previously was an assistant coach for the Serbian national team alongside current Atlanta assistant Igor Koskoskov.
“The NBA mourns the sudden passing of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “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.”
Milojevic worked closely with Jokic, Clippers center Ivica Zubac, Orlando center Goga Bitadze and Houston center Boban Marjanovic, among others, during his time as a coach in Europe. With the Warriors, he worked primarily with the big men like Kevon Looney, who raved about Milojevic’s attention to detail.
“Rest in peace, Deki,” Mavericks star Luka Doncic wrote on social media.