In the post-game presser of the Nuggets’ win over the Celtics, Coach Malone shared how much Nikola Jokić was affected by Dejan’s death. Fellow Serbian native and his coach in the ABL, Milojevic has had a profound impact on Jokic. So, to hear the news of his passing away at the age of 46 was a real blow to Denver’s superstar.

As reported by Jake Shapiro on X, Malone said that the past few days have been rough on Jokic. And they were doing everything to try to keep his spirits up. When he asked Nikola to go and play his best in honor of Deki’s memory, he wasn’t sure of the outcome. But tonight’s performance just proves once again why he is “special“.

The Nuggets were just coming off a loss against the 76ers and their next foe was the East’s top-seeded Celtics. To add to the pressure, Boston stands unbeaten with a flawless home record. Not anymore, of course. The combination of grief from Dejan’s passing and the defeat in a Philly game they easily could have won got the Nuggets’ big man going.

The closely contested win tonight also had other good news. Nikola Jokić tied with NBA legend, Michael Jordan in the 27th position for the number of games with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics vs Nuggets game on Friday was his 92nd game with such a stat.

For all the achievements he is amassing now, Jokic has Dejan Milojević to thank for.

Nikola Jokić and his “Deki”