Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević has died after suffering a heart attack at a team dinner in Utah, team officials announced Wednesday.
Milojević, 46, in his third year as a Warriors coach, had a heart attack during the Tuesday evening dinner in Salt Lake City and died at a hospital late Wednesday morning, according to the team.
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “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 pleasure to work with him.”
Milojević is from Belgrade, Serbia, played professional basketball internationally for 14 years prior to becoming a coach and was named the Adriatic League Most Valuable Player three times from 2004 to 2006.
As an assistant coach, he helped the Warriors during the team’s 2022 NBA Championship run. Prior to joining the team, he was the 2021 head coach of KK Buducnost of the Adriatic League in Montenegro.
“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,” Kerr said. “We grieve with his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”
The Warriors’ game that had been scheduled for Wednesday against the Utah Jazz was postponed to an undetermined later date.
