In the wake of the tragic passing of Dejan Milojevic, the NBA community has been in mourning for the past 24 hours.
Details are emerging on how the Golden State Warriors are grappling with the loss of their assistant coach, shedding light on the impact it has had on the team.
Milojevic was rushed to a Salt Lake City hospital on Wednesday following a medical emergency.
Regrettably, later that day, news broke of Milojevic’s demise at the age of 46, leaving the basketball world in shock.
Warriors insider Monte Poole highlighted the profound effect of Milojevic’s death on center Kevon Looney, suggesting a strong bond between them, particularly as Milojevic specialized in working with frontcourt players under coach Steve Kerr.
“Kevon Looney was particularly crushed by this. To see that this happened at a team dinner, all the players were there, the coaching staff were there,” Poole shared on the Dubs Talk podcast.
He went onto describe a rather somber atmosphere in the room where 30-45 individuals had gathered for a dinner exclusive to the Warriors prior to the incident taking place.
“There were 30-45 people in the room. The restaurant had closed down for the Warriors to have their dinner there.”
How will the NBA help the Warriors?
As the Warriors navigate through this challenging period, the NBA has made the decision to postpone several of their games.
Their scheduled matchup against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday did not take place, and the game against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday has also been rescheduled.
Dejan Milojevic‘s impact extended beyond the Golden State Warriors. Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, a close friend of Milojevic, honored him in a special way during their game against the Miami Heat.
Rajakovic called a play devised by Milojevic during the opening possession, and the Raptors dedicated their subsequent victory to their late friend.
Milojevic, a former six-foot-seven forward, had a distinguished career as a professional player in Europe from 1994 to 2009. Following his retirement, he transitioned to coaching, mainly with Mega Basket from 2012 to 2021 in Europe. In 2021, the Golden State Warriors enlisted him as an assistant coach, and a year later, he played a role in their championship triumph.
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