Before facing the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA matchup on Wednesday night in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors will honor the late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
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Before facing the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA matchup on Wednesday night in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors will honor the late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
Tragically, Milojevic experienced a heart attack during a team dinner with his colleagues in Salt Lake City last Tuesday night. Despite efforts at the hospital, he passed away early the next morning, leading the NBA to reschedule the Warriors’ following two games.
Profoundly affected by the sudden loss of the 46-year-old coach, Golden State opted for a six-day hiatus. Even a scheduled Monday practice was made voluntary, as some players conveyed to coach Steve Kerr that they needed more time before returning. The team eventually resumed full workouts on Tuesday, concluding a week characterized by minimal activity since their 116-107 defeat at the hands of Memphis on January 15th.
For the Warriors, Moody (calf injury), Paul (hand injury), and Payton (hamstring injury) will not be playing the game. As for the Hawks, Gueye (back injury), Hunter (knee injury), Krejci (shoulder injury), Matthews (calf injury), and Young (concussion) will be missing this one out.
The Hawks-Warriors matchup will commence with a video tribute honoring Milojevic, who had been in his third season with Golden State. Milojevic initiated his NBA coaching journey with the Hawks’ summer-league team in 2016, and his extensive coaching career in Europe included stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets’ summer-league staffs before joining forces with Kerr.
Expressing his readiness for the resumption of the bustling NBA schedule, Warriors center Kevon Looney, who had a close working relationship with Milojevic, acknowledged the inevitability of returning to normalcy.
Since the Warriors’ defeat in Memphis, the Hawks have participated in four games, securing victories against the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat but facing setbacks against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Kings. The recent 122-107 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday marked the beginning of a two-game California swing.
It’s noteworthy that the game against Orlando coincided with the news of Milojevic’s passing. Hawks guard and fellow Serbian, Bogdan Bogdanovic, reflecting on his encounters with Milojevic as a player in Europe, considered the possibility of sitting out of the Magic game.
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