The Golden State Warriors pay tribute to late assistant coach Dejan Milojević during their first game back
Milojević passed away last week after a heart attack during team dinner in Salt Lake City
Emotions ran high at the Chase Center on Wednesday night as the Golden State Warriors returned to the court after a nine-day break to beat the Atlanta Hawks 134-112.
The team had to postpone a couple of games last week after assistant coach Dejan Milojević passed away due to a heart attack, Yahoo Sports reported.
To honour the late coach, the Warriors wore black shirts with the Serbian word “brate” printed on them, which translates to “brother” in English.
Additionally, they introduced a new jersey patch with Milojević’s initials inside a heart, which they will wear for the rest of the season.
Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ coach, addressed the crowd at the Chase Center before the game. Instead of a moment of silence, he asked for a standing ovation for Milojević.
The Warriors then paid tribute to their assistant coach by taking off their special Milojević jerseys and placing them on an empty chair reserved for him on the bench.
This heartfelt gesture left several Warriors players, including Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, visibly emotional on the court.
The Warriors, despite a one-point lead, surged ahead in the third quarter and won by 22 points.
The Warriors return home on Friday, where they’ll kick off a six-game homestand against the Dallas Mavericks.
READ MORE:
Warriors get updated schedule after postponed games following Dejan Milojevic’ tragic passing
The NBA has released the Golden State Warriors’ updated schedule for 2023-24 after two previous games were postponed due to the sudden, tragic passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
Golden State’s originally scheduled road game against the Utah Jazz for January 17th has been moved to February 15th at 6:00 p.m. (PT). The Warriors also had a January 19th home matchup with the Dallas Mavericks postponed; that game will now take place on April 2nd, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. (PT) from Chase Center. Those teams were originally supposed to meet in Dallas on April 2nd, a game that will now take place on April 5th at 5:30 p.m. (PT). Finally, the Mavericks’ home matchup with the Atlanta Hawks initially scheduled for April 5th has been moved up one day for a 5:30 p.m. (PT) tipoff.
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