Jokić dons ‘Brate' shirt honoring Coach Deki after NBA MVP win
Jokić dons ‘Brate' shirt honoring Coach Deki after NBA MVP win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić earned the league's highest honor for the third time Wednesday, taking home the 2023-24 NBA MVP award for his incredible performance this season.
And as he spoke to media after the votes were tallied, Jokić wore his "Brate" shirt to the podium -- a small but meaningful gesture to honor his former coach and Warriors assistant Dejan Milojevic, who passed away from a heart attack in January.
"It's a journey, it's a process, it's trusting in your teammates, your teammates trusting in you. It's a whole collective effort that put me in the bright spotlight."
Nikola Jokic on the collective effort behind winning his third #KiaMVP 💯 pic.twitter.com/xFRbIPwahz— NBA (@NBA) May 9, 2024
Milojevic, a Warriors assistant coach since 2021, was Jokić's head coach at the Serbian club Mega Basket. After Milojevic's sudden death at age 46 while in Salt Lake City for Golden State's game against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 17, the Warriors made "Brate" T-shirts that became a common sight on pregame courts throughout the NBA.
And for Jokić, the shirt with the Serbian word for "brother" certainly holds an indescribable meaning.
“I don’t want to make a circus of it,” Jokić told reporters shortly after Milojevic's death, via The Denver Post. “My whole family was shocked. … I love his whole family.
"I love him."
Milojevic's legacy and impact on the NBA lives on through the players he coached, and Jokić's shirt choice Wednesday certainly was a nod to what the coach's teachings have helped the three-time MVP accomplish.
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