Dejan Milojević, an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, died unexpectedly from a heart attack on Wednesday. He was 46.
The team said Wednesday morning that Milojević had been hospitalized the night before during a team dinner in Salt Lake City.
“We are devastated by Dejan Milojević’s sudden passing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a statement issued 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 of working with him.”
Kerr said Milojević was a relentlessly upbeat person “who brought joy” to others every day. Milojević was hired in 2021 after a coaching and decorated playing career in Europe.
Milojević’s death elicited a massive and immediate outpouring of sympathy from the basketball community, and moments of silence were held Wednesday before NBA games. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called the news “horrific.”
Milojević was in his third season with the Warriors. He previously coached in Serbia where he once worked with a young Jokic before the now-Denver Nuggets star came to the United States — as well in Montenegro and had been an assistant coach for the Serbian national team alongside current Hawks assistant Igor Kokoskov.
A rescheduled date for the Warriors-Jazz game was not immediately announced. The Jazz said tickets for Wednesday night would be honored at the rescheduled game. Golden State is next scheduled to play at home Friday against Dallas.
Milojević is survived by his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa.
