Warriors Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević Dies of Sudden Heart Attack, Wednesday Night’s Game Postponed

Golden State Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević is credited with developing Nikola Jokic and was considered a key component to the Warriors’ 2022 title run, but he died Wednesday morning after a sudden heart attack Tuesday night.

Hired in 2021, Serbian-born Golden State Warriors Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević paid immediate dividends. He’s credited with developing Kevon Looney into a breakout 2021-22 season star, and of course, that season ended with a Warriors NBA Championship.

Milojević has remained with the team since, but he suffered a sudden heart attack at a team dinner Tuesday night. Milojević then died from that heart attack Wednesday morning, according to ESPN. He was 46.

"We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in a Wednesday statement released by the team. "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 to work with him."

Milojević came up as a Serbian basketball star in the Balkan countries’ Adriatic League, and won the league MVP award three consecutive times in 2004, 2005, and 2006. He remains the only player who’s won that award three times.

He would go on to coaching, and for eight years coached the Serbia team Mega Vizura. There he would coach two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and current reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic.

The NBA has postponed Wednesday night’s scheduled game against the Utah Jazz, and a replacement date has not yet been announced.

Related: Bay Area Sports Legend and Civil Rights Icon Bill Russell Has Passed Away [SFist]

Image: @warriors via Twitter