Warriors pay respect to coach Milojevic in the first game after his death.
San Francisco (AFP) – The Golden State Warriors paid an emotional homage to Dejan Milojevic on Wednesday, as the team returned to action for the first time since the Serbian assistant coach died of a heart attack last week.
In an emotional pre-game ceremony prior to the Warriors’ 134-112 home victory over Atlanta, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr led a lengthy ovation to honor the 46-year-old affectionately known as “Deki”.
Warriors players wore jerseys with Milojevic’s name on them, and the Serbian national anthem was performed in his memory.
Players then put their jerseys on Milojevic’s normal spot on the Warriors bench.
During the warm-up, Warriors players wore t-shirts with the word “Brate” — which translates to “brother” in Serbian. That gesture was echoed in Dallas, when Mavericks star Luka Doncic donned the identical t-shirt prior of his team’s game against Phoenix.
“The world lost a beautiful soul last week,” Kerr told a quiet Chase Center audience on Wednesday. “Deki was a wonderful friend, a fantastic basketball coach, a great man, and, most importantly, a lovely grandson, son, husband, and parent.
“What he meant to us is an essential element of who we are. He is a part of our soul. This week’s outpouring of love from around the world reflects the joy and love he brought to everybody he met.
“So tonight, rather than a moment of silence, I’d like for all of us to give Deki an ovation that he can hear up in heaven.”
While several Warriors players were struck with emotion during the tributes, with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both holding back tears, the team rallied for a victory over Atlanta.
Stephen Curry finished with 25 points, Thompson with 24, and Jonathan Kuminga with 25 off the bench on an 11-for-11 shooting night.
Curry stated that the emotion of the event had been difficult.
“It was tough,” Curry remarked after the game. “It has been a tough week for everyone in our organization as we worked out how we wanted to remember and pay tribute to Deki and what he meant to our family.
“It’s difficult glancing over at his chair. But the coach pushed us to use all of our emotions and get lost in the game. It seemed strange at first, but here is our haven.
We believe Deki would love to see us compete to the best of our abilities. “It feels great to win.”
Milojevic, who also played in Spain and Turkey before beginning his coaching career in his home country, will join the Warriors as an assistant in 2021.
He was a member of the coaching staff for the 2022 NBA championship team.
He died last week after fainting during a team dinner in Salt Lake City, leaving the Warriors and the NBA community in sadness.
Warriors players will wear a patch featuring Milojevic’s initials — “DM” — on their shirts for the rest of the season. A DM logo inside a heart will also be displayed on the Warriors’ home floor for the remainder of the season.
