Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic has died after suffering a heart attack at a private team dinner. He was 46.
The Warriors said Milojevic died Wednesday morning in Salt Lake City after being hospitalized the previous night.
"We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said as part of a statement. "This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him."
The NBA postponed the Warriors' game Wednesday in Utah against the Jazz after learning of Milojevic's hospitalization.
Milojevic joined Kerr's staff with the Warriors in 2021 and was a well-regarded and popular coach in the NBA and international basketball communities. His primary assignment with the Warriors was working with the team's forwards and centers.
As a coach, he led Buducnost to the pro league title and a national cup in Montenegro and the national cup of Serbia. He also coached Mega in the Serbian league and was closely associated with the early development of two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
As a player, 6-foot-7, 250-pound Milojevic was a three-time Adriatic Basketball Association MVP and led the league in scoring twice. He also won a Yugoslav Cup and EuroBasket title in 2001.
"In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy," Kerr said in his statement. "We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable."