Dejan Milojevic, the assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, passed away at the age of 46 following a heart attack.
Tuesday night at a private team meal, Serbian Milojevic became ill and was sent to a Salt Lake City, Utah, hospital.
The Warriors announced externally that Milojevic died late on Wednesday morning “despite life-saving efforts.”
The Belgrade-born assistant coach, according to head coach Steve Kerr, “brought joy and light to every single day with his passion”.
Noting that Milojevic was “one of the most positive and beautiful human beings” he had ever met, Kerr called the news a “shocking and tragic blow”.
He went on, “We are in deep sorrow for his wife, Natasa, and their two children, Masa and Nikola.
“Their loss is unfathomable.”
The Warriors continued by saying they are “absolutely devastated” by Milojevic’s unexpected death in a post on X, the former Twitter.
Milojevic was a “loved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” according to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The ex-professional athlete became a member of Golden State’s coaching staff in 2021, and he helped the team win the NBA championship in 2022.
After playing for Serbia for 14 years, Milojevic was appointed assistant coach in December 2019.
Before joining the Warriors three years ago, he also served as head coach of KK Buducnost in the Adriatic League in Montenegro.
When word of Milojevic’s medical emergency broke, the NBA decided to postpone the Warriors’ scheduled Wednesday game against the Utah Jazz.
On Wednesday, there were nine NBA games, and Milojevic was honored with tributes and moments of quiet.
On Saturday, the Warriors and Dallas Mavericks are slated to play at 03:00 GMT.