DEVASTATING DAY FOR THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS GRAPPLING WITH THE SUDDEN DEATH OF A MEMBER OF THE COACHING STAFF. YOU'RE WATCHING GETTING ANSWERS. I'M KRISTIN ZEHM, THANKS FOR JOINING US. TONIGHT'S WARRIORS GAME AGAINST THE UTAH JAZZ HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO A SHOCKING TRAGEDY. DEION MILOJEVIC WAS A BELOVED MEMBER OF THE WARRIORS COACHING STAFF, AFFECTIONATELY CALLED DICKEY. THE TEAM SAYS THE 46 YEAR OLD DIED HOURS AFTER SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK DURING A PRIVATE TEAM DINNER IN SALT LAKE CITY. THE ORGANIZATION ISSUED A STATEMENT HEAD COACH STEVE KERR SAYING WE ARE ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED BY DEION'S SUDDEN PASSING. THIS IS A SHOCKING AND TRAGIC BLOW FOR EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARRIORS AND AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TIME FOR HIS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ALL OF US WHO HAD THE INCREDIBLE PLEASURE TO WORK WITH HIM. IN ADDITION TO BEING A TERRIFIC BASKETBALL COACH, DEION WAS ONE OF THE MOST POSITIVE AND BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEINGS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. SOMEONE WHO BROUGHT JOY AND LIGHT TO EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH HIS PASSION AND ENERGY. ABC SEVEN SPORTS DIRECTOR LARRY BEIL IS HERE WITH US NOW TO SHARE MORE ABOUT THIS HUGELY IMPACTFUL TRAGEDY. >> LARRY, THIS WAS SO SAD AND THE DETAILS OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT IN SALT LAKE CITY ARE DISTURBING. JUST BECAUSE IF YOU PUT YOURSELF IN THE SITUATION, BASICALLY, HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE TEAM GOES ON THE ROAD AND THEY WERE GETTING READY FOR A GAME TONIGHT AGAINST THE UTAH JAZZ. SO TYPICALLY YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE FROM 25, 35, UP TO 50 STAFF MEMBERS THAT HAVE THE OPTION TO GET TOGETHER AND, AND SIT DOWN AND HAVE A MEAL TOGETHER. IT COULD BE IN A PRIVATE RESTAURANT, IT COULD BE IN A HOTEL BALLROOM. WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. IN THIS CASE, IT WAS A RESTAURANT, BUT IT WAS CLOSED DOWN JUST FOR THE WARRIORS. AND I THINK THERE WAS ABOUT 35 PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE. AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE WAS A HEART ATTACK. NOW IF THIS IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE, YOU GOT TO REMEMBER THERE'S A TRAINING STAFF THAT'S THAT'S THERE THAT TRAVELS WITH THE TEAM. I MEAN, SHORT OF BEING IN THE CARDIAC CARE CENTER OF A HOSPITAL, YOU'RE IN PRETTY GOOD HANDS RIGHT THERE. YEAH, THEY TRIED CPR. THEY DID ALL THEY COULD. THEY GOT 9-1-1. THEY GOT HIM, YOU KNOW, TO THE HOSPITAL AS QUICKLY AS AS THEY COULD. AND HE PASSED AWAY TODAY. THEY BUT ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE AT THAT DINNER WATCHED THIS UNFOLD IN REAL TIME. AND, YOU KNOW, A REALLY ROUGH NIGHT FOR ALL OF THEM. AND THEN TO GET THE NEWS THIS MORNING, THE TEAM WAS ASSEMBLED. THIS MORNING, ALL THE STAFF MEMBERS, EVERYBODY TO GET THE NEWS OF HIS PASSING. AND IT'S JUST DEVASTATION WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, THE NOTION THAT ANYBODY WOULD BE PREPARED TO PLAY A GAME TONIGHT IS JUST COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION. THERE'S NOBODY EMOTIONALLY READY TO DO THAT AT THIS POINT. THEY HAVE A GAME ON FRIDAY AT HOME BACK HERE. AND SO THAT'LL GIVE THEM A FEW DAYS TO JUST PROCESS WHAT HAPPENED. BUT WHAT PEOPLE WITNESSED LAST NIGHT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL NEVER FORGET. RIGHT >> IT IS SO TRAUMATIZING TO LOSE ANYONE. AND LIKE YOU SAID IN THIS CASE, TO WITNESS THAT HAPPENING IN FRONT OF YOU. SO THE CANCELLATION TONIGHT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT IT'S VERY RARE, ISN'T IT? >> IT IS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, OCCASIONALLY YOU'LL GET A WEATHER SITUATION OR YOU'LL GET SOME PROBLEM WITH THE ARENA FLOOR. OR WE SAW WITH COVID A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS EXTREMELY ATYPICAL. AND I THINK THE WARRIORS AND THE LEAGUE RECOGNIZED THE UNIQUE NATURE OF THIS SITUATION. AND DECIDED THAT NOBODY SHOULD BE PLAYING TONIGHT. YEAH. >> SO DO YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU TALKED TO ANYONE ON THE TEAM TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT SERVICES THERE WILL BE FOR THE PLAYERS AND THE COACHING STAFF, SINCE IT IS SO TRAUMATIC? >> AND I DID ASK ABOUT THAT AND THEY WERE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A PLAN WHETHER IT WOULD BE WITH WITH THERAPISTS, TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE DEAL WITH THE GRIEF, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO WERE AT THE DINNER. BUT, YOU KNOW, 46 YEARS OLD AND 40, AND THEY HAD NEVER BEEN ANY SIGNS THAT, NO, THERE WILL BE ANY HEALTH ISSUES. >> RIGHT. DOESN'T HE WORK OUT WITH AS A COACH? DOES HE ALSO WORK OUT SOMETIMES WITH, I GUESS, THE BIG MAN? IS THAT WHAT HIS ROLE IS? YEAH. SO COACH THE BIG GUY. YEAH. >> SO HE IS A OR WAS A PLAYER DEVELOPMENT COACH AND WORKED SPECIFICALLY WITH THE LARGER PLAYERS. THE CENTERS AND POWER FORWARDS. HE WAS A GREAT PLAYER IN EUROPE AND THEN A COACH FOR EIGHT YEARS BEFORE STEVE KERR AND THE WARRIORS STAFF DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED TO OFFER HIM A JOB. YOU KNOW, HE'S A BIG GUY, HE'S A BIG GUY. SO YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T TELL YOU, YOU KNOW WHAT HIS PHYSICAL SITUATION WAS. BUT HE CERTAINLY NEVER LOOKED LIKE ANYBODY THAT WAS IN ANY PERIL. AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOWED SOME OF THE PHOTOS OF COACH DICKEY. I CAN'T EVER REMEMBER SEEING HIM WITHOUT A SMILE ON HIS FACE. HE WAS THAT TYPE OF PERSON THAT JUST. AND STEVE EXPRESSED IT IN HIS STATEMENT THAT HE JUST BROUGHT JOY. HE WAS JUST A HAPPY GUY. YEAH. AND WAS REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING THE YOUNG SERBIAN PLAYERS LIKE NIKOLA JOKIC, WHO WAS ARGUABLY THE BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE, DEVELOP AND COME TO THE NBA. I MEAN, HE WAS HE'S SO, SO WIDELY REGARDED AND RESPECTED THROUGHOUT THE NBA AND BASKETBALL CIRCLES AROUND THE WORLD. IT'S JUST IT'S A HUGE LOSS FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED. HAD YOU EVER INTERVIEWED HIM? NO, NOT REALLY. I MEAN, WE WOULD SEE EACH OTHER IN PASSING, BUT YOU KNOW, PART OF IT WAS A LANGUAGE BARRIER BECAUSE HE WAS LEARNING ENGLISH. NOW, YOU KNOW, AND I'M PRETTY LIMITED IN MY SERBIAN. SO SO BUT BUT BUT HE, YOU KNOW, HE COULD HE COULD CERTAINLY COMMUNICATE. AND HE COMMUNICATED WITH PLAYERS. BUT YOU KNOW, YOU REMINDED ME OF ONE THING. I JUST SAW THIS JUST LIKE A FEW SECONDS AGO. BRANDON PISEMSKY, WHO'S A WARRIORS ROOKIE, TWEETED THIS OUT. UH, BASICALLY A MESSAGE TO COACH DICKEY. YOU CHANGED MY LIFE IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU EVER TOLD ME WAS TO JUST SMILE, WHICH IS WHAT YOU WERE SAYING. >> YES, HE DID ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? THE POSITIVITY AND THE ENERGY. >> YEAH. YOUR JOY AND LAUGHS WILL FOREVER BE MISSED. SHINE DOWN ON US FROM HEAVEN. REST IN PEACE. I MEAN. AND THIS IS A PLAYER BRANDON PISEMSKY'S ONLY BEEN WITH THE TEAM FOR A FEW MONTHS TO SHOW THE IMPACT THAT COACH DICKEY HAD ON HIM. RIGHT? IT'S A HUGE LOSS FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME FOR THEM TO RECOVER FROM THIS. >> LOOK, THE BIGGEST THING RIGHT NOW IS THE HEALING. AND, YOU KNOW, THE CONDOLENCES FOR THE FAMILY. BUT WHEN THEY GET TO IT, THEY'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO CONSIDER HOW DO THEY FILL HIS SHOES? WHO CAN STEP INTO THAT? THE LEADERSHIP AND YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN HAVING A HARD TIME ON THE COURT HONESTLY TO LOSE SOMEONE NOW IS EVEN MORE CHALLENGING. >> YEAH, I MEAN, IN TERMS OF LIKE WHO TAKES OVER THOSE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES AND ALL THAT, I THINK THEY'RE A WAYS AWAY FROM EVEN CONTEMPLATING ANY OF THAT. AS FAR AS HOW THE SEASON GOES FROM HERE. IT'S BEEN ROUGH ENOUGH AS IT IS. AND THEN TO ADD THIS ON TOP, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AN HOUR LONG POST GAME SHOW TONIGHT AFTER THE LAKERS MAVERICKS GAME. WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH ALL THESE TRADE POSSIBILITIES AND WHAT THEY COULD DO AND ALL THAT. AND IT ALL JUST SEEMS SO IRRELEVANT AT THIS POINT. RIGHT >> RIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. BUT IT'S JUST SO HARD. I MEAN, TO LIKE YOU SAID, A DIFFICULT SEASON IN EVERY WAY ALREADY. AND THEN TO PROCESS THIS RIGHT. >> IT'S ROUGH. IT'S ROUGH. IT'S GOING TO BE HARD. IT'S GOING TO BE HARD. AND YOU KNOW, HE LEAVES A WIFE AND THREE KIDS, ONE OF HIS SONS PLAYS BASKETBALL IN HAWAII. SO UH, YEAH, JUST GETTING THE FAMILY TOGETHER AND THE SERVICES. I DON'T KNOW HOW ALL THAT'S GOING TO UNFOLD, BUT THEY'LL FIGURE THAT OUT IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, LARRY,
