The entire NBA is mourning the loss of Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died of a heart attack on Tuesday night. Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic was good friends with Milojevic and wanted to honor him on Wednesday.
In the Raptors' 121-97 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, Rajakovic called a play that he learned from Milojevic on his team's first possession. It resulted in a three-pointer from Gary Trent Jr.
An emotional Rajakovic addressed the media after the NBA, and he dedicated the victory to Milojevic.
"I told my guys I loved them," Rajakovic said. "Opening play of the game was an ATO play that Decky, my friend, I learned that play from him. That's what he brought to the NBA. That's what he brought to Golden State. I stole that play from him, and that was our opening play tonight, and we were able to score on that one. I dedicated this win to our team and Decky."
The Raptors also posted a video of the postgame locker room celebration on social media. Assistant coach Jama Mahlalela presented Rajakovic with the team chain, and the Raptors head coach told his team, "Love you all."
Shoutout Coach 🫶
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 18, 2024
Open Gym: Moment presented by @Bell pic.twitter.com/76Z9WgEjLc
Milojevic, like Rajakovic, was an up-and-coming Serbian coach in the NBA. The Warriors hired Milojevic in 2021, and he became just the second Serbian assistant coach to win an NBA title when the Warriors knocked off the Boston Celtics in the 2022 Finals.
