Stephen Curry on Dejan Milojević’s Legacy | Jan. 23, 2024

Stephen Curry on Dejan Milojević’s Legacy | Jan. 23, 2024

Hello how are you step how have the past really week been but then also the past two days coming back together as a team and trying to press forward I mean as you can imagine know coach talked yesterday uh tune anybody you ask an organization is very difficult times all the way around

Um just you know the shock of of what happened and you know the suddenness of it so it was a a whirlwind you know four days really we were stuck in Utah for an extra day and a lot of emotions a lot of sadness and and then you try to find ways to

Carry the spirit that Dey had and uh and lived every single day into how you move forward and that’s what we’ve tried to do the last two days you know with the whole group together getting back to you know practice and the routine of of our season

And you know knowing we have to get back to work we’re trying to do it in a way that you know save space for everybody to you you know take care of themselves and you know have the time you know and and resources needed to move forward so I think we’ve all been

Trying to communicate through it and it’s going it’s going to be you know a huge loss it is a huge loss and it’s going to be uh a void there you you’re going to feel it for a long time but hopefully we can get lost in the game and and move

Forward over the past couple days a lot of people have told me that Dey had had like this innate ability to deliver news to his players whether it was criticism no no matter how heavy it was in a like a jovial way that was always kind of well-received even if it was like

Uncomfortable criticism I guess just over the past two years how have you noticed his relationships with some of his players especially some of the big men that he’s coached on this roster yeah their their stories the way that they explain you know their relationship with Dey you know what I’ve experienced in our

Conversations and every time you talk to them um you know it’s it’s a presence that is is loud even though it’s it might not be with words like it’s a smile it’s a hug it’s um you know just a light-hearted nature and then when it become comes to coaching you know to have

That personality that that energy and to be able to you know relate to to guys where you can be honest and um do everything you just said like give praise criticism Direction like legit coaching that’s the art of a great coach you know whether you’re head coach

I know he had experience over in Serbia and uh as an assistant here so um even as an offensive minded guy we’ve had plenty of conversations around what he sees from a play call perspective or uh you know different schemes that can help us and help me you know see the

Game and he is very direct but it’s with a with a um a light-hearted and kind of passionate point of view but it’s fun and he understands that this is basketball and that’s what he loves it’s basketball mind and I think that uh that’s who he was Steph

Um do you given any thought of what it’s going to be like tomorrow when you guys have a nice pregame tribute for for him before the before tip off yeah I don’t really all the energy has been more toward staying in the moment and doing kind of what I said of you

Know trying to approach these last two days with the right mindset to uh get yourself ready physically mentally to go play saw what they did in Serbia yesterday um with the game that took place over there with his two former teams and just watching that like I can’t

Imagine what would have been like to been in the building uh for that energy and that celebration um and I think that was a good primer for the ways that we want to you know honor and celebrate him um and the the challenge of trying to

Take your mind there to you know talk about him you know think about him you’ll see images and videos and and all that and hear his name and that’s great you want to keep his presence alive um but to you know then turn the page of playing basketball uh like I

Said I hope we can just get lost in the game and have fun you know doing what we what we love to do how’s it been uh for you personally Towing the line between experiencing this trauma getting over grieving and mourning with being a leader and and leading everyone out of this

Eventually it’s not hard I think you form a Brotherhood with all the guys in the locker room uh to be able to have those you know tough conversations um and again bring a positive spirit if you could to like again celebrating him what he meant to all of us and trying to move

Forward but uh really not much needs to be said it’s just we all understand what’s going on and everybody’s trying to you know comprehend it if you can as best you can and get yourself in a place mentally where where you can again just go out and play basketball and I think

Thankfully the schedule has helped us where we had those initial days to it have been really hard to play uh those first three days just being you know completely honest so I think that definitely helped that you know to let things settle as best you can and and

Then be able to move forward Steph uh obviously a lots going on right now but just from a basketball standpoint how do you kind of view the next couple weeks weeks and what are you trying to get out of them honestly I’m only worry about tomorrow and that’s not the answer

You’re looking for but it’s really just uh you don’t need any more reminders of you know what’s not promised you know in the future for us to just be able to play a basketball game tomorrow you know try to compete try to win try to execute

The things that we’ve been we uh for a big pick picture we know we’ve struggled with all year um you know with our defensive execution uh getting an identity of how we are going to win games so we have to remind ourselves of that mission as

We go forward with the next stretch of the schedule but really it’s just about tomorrow man can we go get a win and enjoy ourselves because I think we deserve that that

Stephen Curry met with the media to discuss Dejan Milojević’s life and legacy.