Serbian Milojevic fell ill at a private team dinner on Tuesday and was taken to hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He died unexpectedly from a heart attack on Wednesday morning.
The former professional player joined Golden State in 2021 and was part of the coaching staff that led the Warriors to the National Basketball Association (NBA) title in 2022.
Milojevic was part of the Serbia team for 14 years and became assistant coach of the national side in December 2019. He also had a spell as head coach of KK Buducnost in the Adriatic League in Montenegro before his move to the United States with the Warriors three years ago.
The Warriors were scheduled to play at the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, but the NBA postponed the game when the news of Milojevic’s medical emergency was released. Nine games did take place across the NBA on Wednesday, with tributes and silences held for Milojevic.
At about 3:30 p.m., the team announced Milojević’s death.
According to NPR, Milojević, a native of Belgrade, Serbia, was in his third season as the assistant coach with the Warriors. Before that, he spent one season as the head coach of the Budućnost team in the Adriatic Basketball Association league in Montenegro. He additionally was the head coach for the Mega Basket team, in Belgrade for eight
years, and participated in summer leagues for the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Milojević is survived by his wife, Natasa, and his children, Nikola and Masa.
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” head coach Steve Kerr expressed.
“This is a shocking 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.
“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 reacted.
Notwithstanding, the Warriors are going to play against the Dallas Mavericks at 03:00 GMT on Saturday!
