Warriors’ Game vs. Mavericks Postponed After Death of Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 18, 2024

Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

The NBA announced Thursday that Friday’s scheduled game between the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks has been postponed because of the death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević.

Milojević died Wednesday at the age of 46 after being hospitalized Tuesday because of a heart attack.

Golden State’s scheduled game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Wednesday was also postponed following Milojević’s passing.

Milojević played professionally in his home country of Serbia for several years before breaking into coaching in 2012.

He served as the head coach for Mega Basket from 2012 through 2020 and was the head coach of Budućnost in 2021, leading to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hiring him as an assistant in August 2021.

During his time coaching in Serbia, Milojević worked with multiple players who went on to become NBA stars, including Denver Nuggets center and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, per ESPN.

In his first season as an assistant under Kerr, Milojević won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2022.

The Dubs went to the playoffs again last season with Milojević as a key member of the staff, beating the Sacramento Kings in the first round and losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

Golden State has struggled so far this season, as its 18-22 start has it 12th in the Western Conference, two games behind the Lakers for the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament.

The Warriors last played Monday when they fell 116-107 to the Memphis Grizzlies—their fourth loss in five games.

The NBA has yet to announce makeup dates for the Warriors’ postponed games against the Jazz and Mavericks. Golden State’s next scheduled game is at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 24.