DENVER — On Wednesday night, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the league's Most Valuable Player for the third time in four years.
Jokic appeared on TNT for the award announcement wearing a T-shirt commemorating the life of one of his mentors, Golden State assistant coach Dejan 'Deki' Milojević, who died earlier this year after a heart attack on a road trip.
Milojević, a former star player in his native Serbia, died in January suffering a heart attack at a private team dinner in Salt Lake City, the Warriors said. Milojević, part of the staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship, was 46.
Coach Deki was known for calling everyone on the team 'brate,' which means brother in Serbian.
To honor his memory, the Warriors all wore 'brate' shirts when they returned to practice following Milojević's death. The shirts also have a heart on the upper left side with Milojević's initials.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in January that the team would be sending the shirts around the NBA to "anyone who knew him and loved him."
“To be honest, I’m wearing this shirt pretty much every day, especially when I’m in the training facility,” Jokic, who is also from Serbia, told the Associated Press. "Deki was the guy who gave me the freedom. He showed me the way how you’re supposed to do things — act, train, workout. ... He trusted me and I can just say, ‘thank you.’”
Jokic became the first player in Nuggets franchise history to win the league's MVP award in 2021 and repeated in 2022. He was denied a third-straight last season when Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers won the 2023 MVP. Only nine players in NBA history have won the MVP award three times.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports