Warriors honor assistant Dejan Milojevic in pre-game ceremony - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks stood on the sideline of Chase Center side by side donning matching shirts that read «Brate,» the Serbian word for «brother.»

In the corner was a heart with «DM» inside, the initials of late Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died Jan. 17 from a heart attack at age 46. The back of the shirt said «Deki,» Milojevic's nickname.

The players on the Warriors wore special jerseys with Milokevic on them.

«Deki's smile, his joy, his laughter was ever present,» Warriors coach Steve Kerr said to the crowd. "… So tonight, rather than a moment of silence I would like for you to join me in honoring Deki and his beautiful family, I would like for all of us to give Deki an ovation that he can hear up in heaven."

The ovation lasted for about one minute and was then followed by the Serbian national anthem, the anthem of Milojevic's home country.

Following the national anthem of the United States, the Warriors players removed the tribute jerseys, and one by one, each placed them on the seat that Milojevic occupied during his 2½ seasons in Golden State. A white rose was already there alongside the T-shirt worn by the rest of the staff.

His wife, Natasha, and two children, Nikola and Masa, sat five rows behind alongside general manager Mike Dunleavy and front office consultant Zaza Pachulia. They were presented the rest of the bouquet of white roses, while tears streamed down their face.

Before the announcement of starting lineups, the Warriors stood around their bench with their arms around each other, some giving long hugs before moving to their positions.

«It's still very emotional because it's still very, very raw and surreal in a lot of ways,» Kerr said in his