SALT LAKE CITY \u2014 Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevi\u0107 has died at the age of 46 in Salt Lake City after suffering a heart attack Tuesday night at a private team dinner.<\/p>\n
He was pronounced dead Wednesday morning, the team announced.<\/p>\n
Milojevi\u0107 had been with the Warriors since 2021 by way of Serbia, where he was regarded as a basketball titan for his decorated playing career and for helping to develop NBA MVP Nikola Joki\u0107 of the Denver Nuggets. He worked with the Warriors\u2019 centers such as Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Dario Sari\u0107 and was credited for helping Looney improve his rebounding en route to the Warriors\u2019 2022 championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are absolutely devastated by Dejan\u2019s sudden passing,\u201d Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a team statement. \u201cThis 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Warriors were in Utah ahead of a scheduled Wednesday night game against the Jazz, which has since been postponed indefinitely. The Warriors will travel back to the Bay Area on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
Milojevi\u0107 was born in Belgrade, Serbia and had a dominant 14-year playing career in Europe, including time in Serbia, Spain, Montenegro and Turkey from 1994 until 2009. He won three Adriatic League MVP awards (2004-2006) with Budu\u0107nost (Podgorica, Montenegro) and Partizan (Belgrade, Serbia) and represented Serbia and Montenegro internationally.<\/p>\n
\u201cDejan was, in my opinion, the best European power forward from 2003 to 2008,\u201d said Miroslav \u0106uk, a Serbian basketball podcaster who has been following Milojevic\u2019s career since 1998. \u201cWe called him the Serbian Barkley, since he was dominating the boards at 6-foot-7 and had a plethora of low-post moves.\u201d<\/p>\n
He served as head coach of the Serbian team Mega Vizura from 2012 to 2020 and, through that time, saw 11 of his players drafted to the NBA from Joki\u0107 to Clippers center Ivica Zubac.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat (differentiated Milojevi\u0107) from the other coaches from the region was the fact that he was a \u2018buddy first, coach second\u2019 kind of guy,\u201d \u0106uk said. \u201cHe had great energy and was very positive, and that inspired his guys to work hard and develop their game.\u201d<\/p>\n
No Warriors players or coaches spoke publicly Wednesday in the wake of Milojevi\u0107\u2019s shocking death, though some shared the team\u2019s remembrance of the coach on social media. Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski posted his own tribute on Twitter\/X:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou changed my life in such a short time. The most important thing you ever told me was to just smile! Your joy and laughs will forever be missed. Shine down on us from heaven. Rest In Peace Dejan Milojevi\u0107\u201d<\/p>\n