Warriors Hold Powerful Tribute for Dejan Milojević Before Game vs. Hawks

The assistant coach died at the age of 46 on Jan. 17 after suffering a heart attack.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died at age 46 on Jan. 17 after suffering a heart attack.

The Warriors played their first game on Wednesday night since Milojević’s death after their past two games were postponed. Emotions were noticeably high at the Chase Center from players and fans alike.

Ahead of the game vs. the Atlanta Hawks, the Warriors sported shirts saying “Brate” on them, which means “brother” in Serbian, Milojević’s native language. Other NBA teams, such as the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets, wore the shirts at their respective games, too.

Tonight, our players and coaches will honor their Brate, Deki. pic.twitter.com/dGQ4aEu3qd

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 24, 2024

The team held a ceremony before the game dedicated to Milojević, with the coach’s wife and kids in attendance. Each player wore jerseys with his last name on them, and they each placed the jersey on the chair he sat in during games.

The Warriors also played the Serbian national anthem before the game to honor Milojević.

The Warriors paid tribute to Dejan Milojević ahead of tonight's game 💙

(via @espn) pic.twitter.com/LTPHDBJEbF

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 25, 2024

When Warriors guard Stephen Curry made his first basket of the night, he pointed to the sky, presumably for Milojević.

Stephen Curry pointed to the sky following his first bucket of the night💙 pic.twitter.com/ibMctzblJk

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 25, 2024