SAN FRANCISCO – Before the Golden State Warriors returned to practice Monday after an extended period of mourning, they gathered to watch an out-of-this-world tribute to Serbia, where two teams from Belgrade celebrated beloved former coach and player Dejan Milojevic.The Warriors assistant coach died last Wednesday in Salt Lake City at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack at a team dinner the night before.andquot;It is a very terrible thing to see,andquot; an emotional coach Steve Kerr said at the Chase Center.Kerr estimates there were four or five players in the restaurant and he was there with other coaches and staff. He praised Vice President of Player Health and Performance Rick Celebrin for his calmness, care and professionalism during the ordeal..
andquot;Everyone on our team, everyone in our organization is traumatized,andquot; Kerr said. andquot;Part of life is loss. Everyone experiences loss at some point in their lives. But it doesn’t often happen in front of you. It doesn’t happen often with someone who has children, and it doesn’t happen often when it comes to someone so loved in the world. So all this and#039; happened in the last five days was just shocking, just incredibly emotional, powerful and more than anything heartbreaking.andquot;.
andquot;It was hard. I just try to be there for my family and teammates as much as I can, just remember him, tell stories about him, things like that and quotes; Looney said. andquot;I’m not trying to run away from it, I’m trying to accept it and talk about it and what I’m going through with my loved ones.andquot;Referring to the coach and family, Kerr reiterated that the Warriors are grieving with and for Natasa, Masa and Nikola as it affects all of our lives. Their lives are affected significantly more than anyone else, and it will be forever, and it is not easy to deal with.andquot;.
Dario Saric was instrumental in supporting the family, Kerr said, and Milojevic helped influence the power and the decision to sign with the Warriors.On Monday Kerr wore a black andquot;BRATEandquot; T-shirt with Milojevican#039;s initials DM inside the heart. Brate means brother, and that’s what the coach called everyone on the Warriors..
The team learned a little more about how much their beloved andquot;Dekiandquot; meant returning home to Serbia.The touching tribute came before his former team Partizan hosted the club he coached and helped produce 11 NBA stars. The cross-town rivals only play twice a year during the ABA regular season, so the timing was really significant.The ceremony lasted about 10 minutes and included video highlights of Milojev as both player and coach, his number 13 jersey on the bench on one of the chairs, and a long round of applause from both teams and the crowd. Fans, wearing black T-shirts with Dekiand#039’s name on the front and his name on the back, chanted his last name over and over for more than three minutes as he applauded as the big picture went to the stands. The announcement was preceded by a moment of silence when the starters of both teams gathered in the middle of the field..
andquot;It took us an hour to process the emotions of what we were watching and what our guys are feeling when they go back on the field for the first time without Ten,andquot; Kerr said.Kerr noted that last week – January 18 – marked 40 years since his father, Malcolm, was killed while he was president of the American University of Beirut..
andquot;None of us could have gone on the court on a Wednesday or Friday and played basketball,andquot; Kerr said. andquot;… So I want to thank everyone. I also want to thank the University of Utah. Every single person we met that night, the night of Dekiand#039’s heart attack, was incredible. The care they gave to Deki and all of us was amazing and if any of their staff are looking at it I want to say a big thank you. They were remarkable.andquot;The Warriors met again on Monday to fine-tune how they will respect Milojevic against Atlanta on Wednesday night.andquot;Wednesday is coming for our players, our organization, our fans and Dekiand#039; incredibly emotional for the family. There is no manual for this, andquot; Kerr said. andquot;We will honor Ten in the best possible way on Wednesday night. Weand starts playing basketball. We find a way to grieve and mourn and play all in the same night.andquot;.
