- Dejan Milojevic suffered a heart attack during a team dinner last week
- The Serbian assistant coach was only 46 years old
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The Warriors and Steve Kerr honored late assistant Dejan Milojevic at the Chase Center on Wednesday as they prepared to play their first home game since the coach’s sudden death last week.
Milojevic died last Wednesday after suffering a heart attack the night before during a team dinner in Salt Lake City. The Warriors had two games postponed after the tragic incident.
Warriors coach Kerr addressed the Chase Center crowd before Golden State played the Hawks on Wednesday.
“The world lost a beautiful soul last week. Deki was a great friend, a great basketball coach, a great man and most of all a wonderful grandson, son, husband and father,” Kerr said.
‘…The smiles, the joy, the laughter – it was always there. And what he meant to us was a big part of who we are – he is a part of our soul.”
Klay Thompson is seen wearing a ‘BRATE’ jersey before the Warriors-Hawks game
Kerr’s speech was followed by applause from the crowd.
Before the match, a photo of a smiling Milojevic was shown on the jumbotron, with the message ‘FOREVER OUR BROTHER’ written on it.
Players also warmed up wearing shirts that read “BRATE,” which means “brother” in Serbian, Milojevic’s native language.
Additionally, the Chase Center court had the initials “DM” painted in a heart behind the basket, while players will also wear “DM” patches on their jerseys for the rest of the NBA season in tribute to the coach.
The team reserved a seat on the bench for the coach and placed a ‘BRATE’ shirt and flower over it
Boban Marjanovic and Luka Doncic also wore ‘BRATE’ shirts for their matches
There was also a seat reserved for the coach on the bench sweaters with his last name on themas well as a ‘BRATE’ shirt and a white flower.
The Warriors
The tribute to the coach extended beyond San Francisco, when Milojevic’s compatriot, Rockets center Boban Marjanovic, also wore a ‘BRATE’ jersey for his team’s game.
The Mavs’ Luka Doncic also wore the T-shirt before Dallas’ game with the Suns, while the Spurs also honored Milojevic before their game.
Milojevic, 46, was part of the coaching staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship.