Warriors coach Dejan Milojević dead at 46

 

 

 

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević has died after suffering a medical emergency at a team dinner in Salt Lake City, the team said. He was 46.

The Warriors said he suffered a heart attack.

Milojević was in his third season on the Warriors bench and was a part of the coaching staff when Golden State defeated the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship in 2022.

The team said he suffered a "medical emergency at a private team dinner." The NBA announced that the Warriors’ game against the Utah Jazz, set for Wednesday night, was postponed.

"We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing," 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. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable."

Milojević previously coached in Serbia and Montenegro before he joined the Warriors. He coached Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic before he came to the U.S.

Milojević had stints in the NBA Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. He spent 14 years as a professional basketball player and was a three-time MVP of the Adriatic League.

As a head coach overseas, he was a Serbian Cup winner in 2016 and a Montenegrin League champion and Montenegrin Cup winner in 2021.

As a member of the Serbia and Montenegro national basketball team, he won a gold medal in the 22 & under European Championship in 1998 and a gold in EuroBasket in 2001.