TORONTO — After the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors played each other on Sunday, the teams' coaching staff raised a glass in honor of their friend and colleague Dejan Milojevic.
Milozevic was an assistant coach for Golden State when he died in January 2024 at age 46 after suffering a heart attack during a team dinner in Salt Lake City. He had deep ties to the Warriors and Raptors coaches, having worked with or mentored several individuals in both organizations.
“He was greatly missed,” said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic, who, like the entire Serbian basketball community, was saddened by Milojevic's sudden death. “Every time we play Golden State, we have a tradition where after the game I bring (Serbian brandy) rakija and we go after the game and their coaching staff and our coaching staff get together and drink one rakija in his name.
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“He was really missed.”
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During the pre-game press conference, Rajakovic wore a black shirt with the word “brother” on the chest and the initials DM on a small shield. Brate – pronounced “BRUT-te” – literally translates to “brother”, but is sometimes used collegially by Serbs, such as “buddy”.
At the time of Milojevic's death, Rajakovic said that he was a role model as a player, coach, husband and man.
Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela joined the Warriors organization at the same time as Milojevic and later joined Rajakovic's staff. Ivo Simovic, another Toronto assistant coach, also coached in the Serbian national program, as did Rajakovic and Milojevic.
“We're a very small brotherhood in the NBA, so all the coaches know each other and we all bond over different things,” Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said, referring to Milojevic by his nickname, Decky. “(He) tied up Darko, Jama, me and our staff.
“Now every year after the game we drink rakija, a Serbian brandy, to toast Deki.”
Nikola Milojevic, Dejan Milojevic's son, is now Golden State's video coach, but he did not travel to Toronto for Sunday's game.
“It’s amazing what Golden State did there, giving him the opportunity to be a part of the organization and help their family,” Rajakovich said. “It says a lot about Steve Kerr and the organization.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
