Warriors assistant Dejan Milojević dies at 46 after heart attack at team dinner; game vs. Jazz postponed
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević has died, the team announced Wednesday. The 46-year-old had a heart attack at a team dinner Tuesday in Utah. He was hospitalized and died Wednesday morning despite "life-saving efforts."
"We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in a team statement. "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. 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."
The NBA postponed Wednesday's game between the Warriors and Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City earlier in the day due to the medical situation with Milojević.
Warriors staff stayed at the hospital late Tuesday night and returned Wednesday to be with Milojević, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Milojević was a basketball lifer who hails from Serbia. He had a 14-year professional playing career that included stops in Serbia, Spain, Montenegro and Turkey, playing from 1994 until he was forced to retire in 2009 due to knee issues. He started his coaching career a few years later, coaching overseas from 2012 until 2021, when he joined Kerr's staff. Milojević also spent time as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2017 and the Houston Rockets in 2018.
