Death can never be easy. For a team like the Golden State Warriors, who were already under immense struggle, the loss of one of their own is extremely hard to deal with. However, the team and its players have a concentrated effort to keep his legacy alive. In particular, Klay Thompson and rookie Brandon Podziemski went above and beyond the shoulder patch on their jerseys to honor their lost one.

After their first game back without him, a comfortable victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the team was visibly emotional. Head Coach Steve Kerr and de-facto leader Stephen Curry couldn’t hold in the tears while discussing the impact Dejan Milojevic had on the team and the locker room.

Klay, with over a decade on the team, had a gut-wrenching message during the post-game press conference. “It was really hard. It was really hard for everyone in the organization. There’s still a really big hole in our team…Just sucks. Feel so bad for him and his children, his wife. Just, we miss him. Everyday.”

As his voice grew heavier with emotion, Thompson soldiered on to hammer his point home. “Think about him all the time. And seeing that footage of him with the guys, all the players from Europe, gave me chills. And a lot of emotions. Just s**ks. Such an awesome person. I’m gonna miss him dearly.”

But, he wasn’t the only one on the team affected. The fans even had Steph for a loss of words during his moment for Dejan. The team’s rook, one of the Europeans that #11 was talking about, had a special bond with Dejan. As a result, he would give the Serbian Nikola Jokic a rather unique tribute.

The rookie with a heartfelt gesture for Dejan Milojevic

While the entire team had a patch on their shoulders honoring their former coach, Podz went a step further. On his shoe, the youngster had a special message for his late friend. Talking after the game, Brandon would reveal what the message was.

“I have it on my shoe here. Every day, he told me just to smile and have fun. So, that’s what he would say to me specifically. Just go out there and have fun and smile. He said I play better when I’m happy.” An emotional Golden State team was able to string together one of their most complete performances.

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As a result, a non-clutch game, a rarity for this team, might be a sign of things to come. Could the team go on a 2020 Lakers-type run?

Stephen Curry, Warriors Take Season Long Vow in Heartwarming Memorial Gesture to Late Warriors Coach Dejan Milojevic