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Warriors aim to refocus after ‘shock’ of Dejan Milojevic’s death
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors held their first team practice since the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic on Monday as the franchise looks to turn the page and refocus on basketball.
“It’s hard to describe that last week,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Heartbreaking. Devastating. It’s the saddest thing I have ever been a part of in the NBA … The last five days have been full of the shock, the emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world.”
The Warriors began their Monday session by watching a nearly 15-minute tribute coming out of Belgrade, Milojevic’s hometown. A tribute game was being held between Mega Basket, the team Milojevic coached for, and Partizan, the team which he starred for as a player.
Players wore warmup shirts that read “Sometimes even the biggest fighters leave us.” A massive banner of Milojevic’s face was displayed in the stands. The arena was standing room only.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like that pregame dedication,” Kerr said. “I think we got a better sense of what Deki meant to his countrymen. Of course, how much he meant to us and [his family] Natasha, Masha and Nikola.”
After watching the footage from Serbia, the team took an hour to regroup and settle their emotions before beginning the practice portion of the afternoon. It was the first time they had been on the court as a team since Milojevic died suddenly last Wednesday after suffering a heart attack Tuesday night at a team dinner in Salt Lake City.
