SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack in Salt Lake City, according to a team spokesperson.
But the 46-year-old was not only known as the assistant coach who helped the Warriors clinch the 2022 NBA championship — his legacy goes back decades.
Before the Warriors
Before coaching with the Golden State Warriors for three seasons, Milojević's previous basketball jobs included:
- Coaching in Serbia where he worked with now-Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić
- Coaching in Europe for a total of eight years
- Working with Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, Orlando center Goga Bitadze and Houston center Boban Marjanovic, among others
Milojević started his basketball in Serbia where the 6'7'' tall player won three consecutive MVP awards in the ABA League in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively — the most MVP awards for any ABA League athlete.
He announced his retirement from playing basketball in 2009 and started his coaching career a few years later.
“I teach all my players that basketball is not a job, but that they should enjoy the game,” Milojević told Bosnian radio-television outlet RTV in a 2018 interview. “Because if you want to do something for the next 20 years, then you have to love it a lot. It’s not easy to endure all these efforts if you don’t like something. Only those who have a sincere love for the game can handle everything with great success.”
According to AP, Milojević scored 141 points as a 14-year-old in 1991 after his coach ordered he take all the shots. As a head coach, he took many teams to victory including:
- 2016 Serbian Cup with KK Mega Basket
- 2021 Montenegrin League championship with KK Budućnost
- Montenegrin Basketball Cup championship with Budućnost
Before joining the Warriors, Milojević had prior NBA experience through Summer League assistant coaching stints in teams like:
- Atlanta
- Houston
- San Antonio
WATCH MORE: Dejan Milojević explains his role with the Warriors and how he works to develop players.
