Warriors assistant coach Milojevic dies
Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic has died at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack at a team dinner in Salt Lake City, the NBA team said on Wednesday. The Serbian coach, who played in Spain and Turkey as well as his homeland, where he began his coaching career, had joined the Warriors as an assistant in 2021. The Warriors said that "despite life saving efforts" he passed away late on Wednesday morning after collapsing Tuesday night at the private dinner in Utah, where the Warriors had been scheduled to play the Jazz on Wednesday night. "We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," said Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. "We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable." Toronto Raptors' Serbian head coach Darko Rajakovic said Milojevic had been a major influence on him and many others. "I knew Dejan since I was a teenager. He was a role model as a player, as a man, as a husband, as a coach," he told reporters. Milojevic had been an assistant coach for the Serbian national team and worked during his time in Europe with a number of future NBA stars, including compatriot Nikola Jokic, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player who led the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title last year. "A lot of NBA players went through his hands and his influence. He helped a lot of guys to make the next step in their career," said Rajakovic. The Warriors' game against the Jazz was postponed to a date yet to be announced. (AFP)