Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević has reportedly passed away at age 46, according to Eurohoops.net, following being hospitalized on Tuesday.
The publication reported, along with multiple Serbian websites, that Milojević had been hospitalized on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack. Then, the news the basketball world feared became true on Wednesday, as the Warriors assistant passed.
“Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic passed away at 46 years of age Wednesday, as reported by multiple Serbian websites and confirmed by Eurohoops. The Serbian coach had been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack Tuesday,” Eurohoops reported. “Milojevic was an assistant coach at the Warriors since 2001.
“After playing professionally for 22 years, he had begun his coaching career in his native Serbia with Mega Basket and then also briefly coached Montenegrin club Buducnost before moving to the NBA with Golden State.”
Moreover, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that Milojević “suffered a sudden and serious health issue at a restaurant in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night” after traveling with the Warriors for Wednesday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
Earlier on Wednesday, the NBA announced the game would be postponed because of a “medical emergency in the Warriors family,” and that a makeup date will be announced at a later date while the team deals with their loss.
Additionally, ESPN added that there “were players and coaches dining together when Milojević’s health episode occurred.”
The Warriors assistant joined Steve Kerr’s staff back in 2021, and was a well-regarded coach in the league, according to ESPN. Additionally, Wojnarowski and Shelburne reported that he had a healthy relationship with Serbian basketball star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Basketball takes a backset when something like this happens. The thoughts and prayers of the NBA community are with Dejan Milojević, his family, friends and the Golden State Warriors.
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