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Watch: Warriors’ touching tribute to late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic

In an emotional ceremony, the Golden State Warriors paid tribute to Dejan Milojevic in their first game since he passed away from a heart attack last week.

Jennifer BubelEnglish_AS

The Golden State Warriors played in their first game since unexpectedly losing assistant coach Dejan Milojevic to a heart attack last week. Ahead of the 134-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Warriors players each laid their jerseys down on the seat where Milojevic used to sit. Head coach Steve Kerr led the ceremony with a heartfelt speech about who “Deki”, as they affectionately call him, was as a person, coach, and family member. Milojevik was part of the team that won the NBA Championship in 2022.

“What he meant to us is a huge part of who we are. He’s a part of our soul,” said Kerr. “The outpouring of love that we received this past week from all over the world is a direct reflection of the joy and love that 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.”

The players wore jerseys with Milojevic’s name on it as the Serbian national anthem was played. They had T-shirts with the word “brate” on them, which means “brother” in Serbian, in honor of Milojevic. They will wear a patch with his initials, DM, on their jerseys for the rest of the season, and on the court, there will be a “DM” logo inside a heart for the remainder of the season.

San Francisco (United States), 25/01/2024.- The late Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic of Serbia's chair is draped with a shirt that says Brate (brother in Serbian) and a rose as they honor him before the NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks in San Francisco, California, USA, 24 January 2024. It was the first game for the Warriors after Milojevic'Äôs passing on 17 January 2024 of a heart attack. (Baloncesto, Baile de la Rosa) EFE/EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO SHUTTERSTOCK OUT JOHN G. MABANGLOEFE

The Warriors played hard in Miojevic’s honor, coming away with a victory over the Hawks, despite fighting tears during the tribute ahead of the game. Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga both finished with 25 points and Klay Thompson with 24.

“It was tough,” said Curry. “It’s been a very long week for everybody in our organization, understanding how we wanted to honor and pay tribute to Deki and what he meant to our family. It’s tough looking over at his chair. But coach challenged us to utilize all those emotions and get lost in the game. It was weird at first but this is our sanctuary.”

“We know Deki would like nothing more than to see us go out there and compete as best we can. It feels really good to get a win.”