The Lakers hold a minute of silence for Warriors coach Dejan Milojevic

NBA

by Christian Arnold

The NBA world continued to mourn the sudden death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, including the Lakers, who held a moment of silence in his honor on Wednesday night.

Milojevic died on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack the day before.

He was 46 years old.

Before the Lakers face the Mavericks on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the team took some time to honor the late coach.

“The global basketball community joins the NBA family in mourning the sudden passing of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic at the age of 46,” Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter said Wednesday night.

“He played professionally for 14 seasons across Europe and was also part of the Serbia and Montenegro national team before shifting his coaching to America. Starting with his stint as an assistant for the Serbian national team, he has worked with the Hawks, Spurs and Rockets and since 2021, he has been an integral part of The Warriors' coaching staff.

Tanter then asked Crypto.com Arena to hold a moment of silence in honor of the late coach.

The building fell silent as the players on the field bowed their heads in respect to the image of Milojevic displayed on the jumbotron.

The Warriors were originally scheduled to play the Jazz on Wednesday night, but the NBA postponed the game to a later date.

Fellow Serbs and Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic He praised Milojevic before his team's match on Wednesday.

“A lot of NBA players have passed through his hands and his influence,” Rajakovic said. It helped a lot of men. … As a head coach (overseas), he helped a lot of people take the next step in their careers. The last time we were together he was talking about the Serbian national team and his dream of one day becoming the head coach of the Serbian national team.

“We were talking about plans and all that, and unfortunately, he is no longer with us to share dreams and goals.”

Milojevic was in the middle of his third season as coach with the Warriors, winning the NBA Finals in 2022.