On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors had their first game since the passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.
In another part of the country, one of Golden State’s biggest opponents was sending his love to the team and Milojevic.
A video shared by NBC Sports showed that Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks was wearing a shirt that said “Brate” before his game against the Phoenix Suns.
“Brate” means “brother” in Serbian and is an obvious reference to Milojevic.
The video featuring Doncic also shows him making a wild, behind-the-back full-court shot but it’s the shirt that really drew the most attention.
Luka wore a “Brate” shirt to honor Deki 💙
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 25, 2024
Before their game, the Warriors held a very moving ceremony that paid tribute to Milojevic and the impact he had on the players and team.
“The world lost a beautiful soul last week,” head coach Steve Kerr told the crowd.
He went on: “Deki was a wonderful friend, a hell of a basketball coach, a great man, and most importantly, a beautiful grandson, son, husband, and father.”
Kerr said that the team was going to play hard on behalf of Milojevic and, sure enough, they did.
They ended up beating the Atlanta Hawks, 134-112, bringing their track record to 19-22.
Stephen Curry posted 25 points, while Klay Thompson scored 24 points, and Jonathan Kuminga put in 25 off the bench, going a perfect 11-of-11 from the field.
It was a big win for the team, and a very important one.
But more than anything, it was a truly emotional night for the team, coaching staff, and the entire Warriors community.
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