The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a somber moment as they mourn the sudden loss of assistant coach Dejan “Deki” Milojevic, who tragically suffered a fatal heart attack during a team dinner in Salt Lake City on January 17.
Milojevic’s untimely passing led to the postponement of two Warriors games and has left a void that players and staff are grappling to fill.
Reflecting on the profound impact of Milojevic, Warriors star Steph Curry shared the emotional rollercoaster the team has experienced.
“As you can imagine, coach talked yesterday too, anybody you ask in the organization, it’s very difficult times all the way around. Just the check of what happened and the suddenness of it. So it was a whirlwind for days really,” Curry expressed.
In the aftermath of this unforeseen tragedy, the Warriors faced challenges both emotionally and logistically. The team spent an extra day in Utah, dealing with the shock of Milojevic’s passing and the subsequent adjustments to their schedule.
“We were stuck in Utah for an extra day and a lot of emotions, a lot of sadness. And then you try to find ways to carry the spirit that Deki had and lived every single day into how you move forward, and that’s what we’ve tried to do the last two days with the whole group together getting back to practice and the routine of our season,” Curry elaborated on the team’s efforts to cope.
Despite the emotional toll, the Warriors are gearing up to return to the court, facing the Atlanta Hawks at home. Curry, while still coming to terms with the loss, acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the need to grieve with the commitment to the game they love.
“I think we’ve all been trying to communicate through it, and it’s a huge loss, and it’s going to be a void here. You’re going to feel it for a long time. But hopefully, we can get lost in the game and move forward,” said Curry, highlighting the team’s attempt to find solace in basketball.
In a gesture of respect and remembrance, the Warriors plan to pay tribute to Milojevic before the upcoming game. This follows the lead of Milojevic’s former teams, Partizan and Mega, who honored him in a game in Belgrade, showcasing the impact he had on the basketball community.
“All the energy has been more toward staying in the moment and doing kind of what I said of trying to approach these last two days with the right mindset to get yourself ready physically, mentally to go play,” Curry reflected on the challenge of honoring Milojevic while preparing for the game.
“Saw what they did in Serbia yesterday with the game that took place over there with his two former teams. Just watching that I can’t imagine what would have been like to be in the building for that energy and celebration. I think that was a good primer for the ways that we want to honor and celebrate him,” the four-time NBA champion continued.
“You’ll see images and videos and all that and hear his name and that’s great. You want to keep his presence alive, but to then turn the page of playing basketball. Like I said, I hope we can just get lost in the game and have fun doing what we love to do,” Curry concluded.
