Why Steve Kerr won’t be on the sideline for Golden State Warriors vs Utah Jazz clash? All you need to know
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr won't be on the sidelines for the game between the Warriors and the Utah Jazz on Monday. Reportedly, Kerr was in Belgrade to attend the funeral of Dejan Milojevic, the late assistant coach of the Warriors.
Hundreds of mourners, friends and family gathered to pay tribute to the late basketball coach. According to the pictures released by TMZ, Kerr was seen standing in the rain as the former Warriors assistant coach was being laid to rest.
The funeral took place almost a month after Milojevic suffered a heart attack in Salt Lake City. The late coach was having a team dinner when he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest. Milojevic was in the hospital for a day and the following day on January 17, he took his last breath.
Steve Kerr was not the only one at the funeral, as former Warriors player Zaza Pachulia and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. were also in attendance. Furthermore, ESPN's Kendra Andrews stated that Chris DeMarco, the Warriors' player development coach, and assistant coach Ron Adams were also reported to attend the funeral.
Since Kerr will be missing the game against the Jazz, assistant coach Kenny Atkinson will call the game from the sidelines.
Milojević was a former basketball player and NBA coach. After being undrafted in the 1999 NBA Draft, he proceeded to play basketball in Europe. He was named the Warriors' assistant coach in 2021 and earned his first NBA title with them in 2022.
Steve Kerr on assistant coach Dejan Milosevic's sudden demise
After the Warriors’ 46-year-old assistant coach Dejan Milojevic took his last breath on Jan. 17, the NBA decided to postpone the Warriors’ game against the Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors resumed their schedule on January 22.
To honor the late assistant coach fondly known as "Deki," the Warriors wore jerseys with his initials "DM" and practice gear with "Brate."
When Kerr was asked about Milojevic’s untimely passing, the heartbroken Kerr said that this was the saddest thing he had experienced.
"It's hard to describe the week. Heartbreaking, devastating. It's just the saddest thing I've ever been a part of in the NBA, where we lose someone who's so close to us," Kerr said.
"And then, more importantly, seeing his family suffer. So this last week has been -- last five days, I guess -- has been full of all of the above. The shock, the emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world."
Kerr spoke fondly about Milojevic and remembered his infectious smile that kept the energy going strong in the Warriors’ facility. In Serbia, two of the teams that Milojevic had coached before played against each other to honor their former coach.
Milojevic became the second Serbian assistant coach in the league to win an NBA championship. Igor Kokoškov, who was the assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, was the first to do so.