Yahoo News Golden State Warriors Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević Dead at 46: 'We're Absolutely Devastated'
The Serbian coach and former player was in his third season with the Warriors and helped the team win the 2022 NBA championship
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević has died. He was 46.
The longtime coach and former player died at a Salt Lake City area hospital Wednesday morning after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday night while Golden State was at a private dinner ahead of their game against the Utah Jazz, the Warriors said in a statement posted on X.
“We’re absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors head 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.”
Kerr continued, “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.”
Milojević was in his third season as an assistant coach with the Warriors after helping the team win the 2022 NBA championship.
Prior to the Warriors, Milojević was the head coach KK Budućnost in the Adriatic League in Montenegro, and previously he had been the head coach for KK Mega Basket in Belgrade, Serbia, for eight seasons, according to the Warriors media guide.
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A former assistant coach for the Serbian national team, he also had experience on NBA Summer League staffs with the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Milojević, who enjoyed a 14-year international playing career, also coached two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in his formative years, the Associated Press reported.
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On Wednesday morning, prior to the announcement of Milojević's death, the NBA said that it would be postponing the game in light of the issue affecting the “Warriors family,” and it would announce a new date for the game at a later time.
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