The NBA world continues to mourn the sudden and tragic death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack at a private team dinner in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Tuesday.
Players and coaches across the league shared social media posts honoring Milojević, and several teams held minutes of silence before their respective games as a tribute to the late coach. But on Friday evening, one of the players perhaps most affected by the passing game broke his silence.
Warriors center Kevon Looney shared a five-photo post on his Instagram page Friday night, accompanied by a heartfelt message in memory of Milojević, a coach and “brother” with whom he worked closely in recent years.
Milojević was in his third season as an assistant coach with the Warriors after a successful 14-year international playing career, including stints in Serbia, Spain and Turkey.
After his retirement, Milojević became head coach of the Serbian team Mega Vizura. Nearly a decade later, Golden State hired him as an assistant coach, where he would initially work closely with former No. 2 overall pick and 7-foot center James Wiseman.
But when injuries derailed the start of Wiseman's NBA career, Milojević shifted his focus to Looney, particularly helping the Warriors big man improve his rebounding. Yes, Milojević is the person who turned Looney into a rebound machine.
Over the first six seasons of his NBA career, Looney averaged 4.0 rebounds (1.6 on offense, 2.4 on defense) in 15 minutes per game. In the 2021-22 season, the same year Milojević joined the coaching staff, Looney averaged 7.3 rebounds in 82 regular season games and 7.6 boards per game on Golden State's way to its fourth championship in eight Seasons.
Last season, Looney posted almost consistent career highs with seven points on 63 percent shooting, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
While Milojević helped Looney's impact on the court, it's clear their bond was even stronger there. And for that, Looney – and Dub Nation – are forever grateful.
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