Jan. 18 (UPI) — Friday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks is being postponed after the death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, the NBA announced Thursday.
Milojević, 46, died Wednesday morning after having a heart attack during a team dinner the night before in Salt Lake City. Friday’s game was the second postponement related to Milojevic’s hospitalization and death.
Tributes from throughout the the basketball world continue to appear on social media upon news of Milojević’s death.
Fellow Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic spoke to reporters about the death after his Atlanta Hawks beat the Orland Magic on Wednesday in Atlanta. Bogdanovic played against Milojević before he became a Warriors assistant.
“It’s such a sad thing to see how much impact he had on a lot of players, people around the world,” Bogdanovic said. “One thing that I will never, never forget is he never chased his career.
“He was a great player, but he never chased his career. He always wanted to live a family lifestyle with his kids in the good cities. He never chased money. I feel that’s a great example for everyone.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday that coaches and players are “absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing.”
“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 said.
“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, a Belgrade native, was in his third season as a Warriors assistant. He was on the Warriors staff during their 2022 title run.
Several NBA teams held moments of silence for Milojević on Wednesday night. Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown, who was on the Warriors staff with Milojević in 2021 and 2022, said he was “absolutely heartbroken by his passing.”
“Not only was he an extremely talented coach, he was an even better person,” Brown said in a statement released by the Kings.
The Warriors are scheduled to host the Atlanta Hawks at 10 p.m. EST Wednesday in San Francisco. No details about Milojević’s funeral have been made public as of Thursday afternoon.
