Why Kate Hudson's “Running Point” Paid Tribute to Teen Athlete Niko Mijailovic After His Tragic Death at 15
Why Kate Hudson's “Running Point” Paid Tribute to Teen Athlete Niko Mijailovic After His Tragic Death at 15
Liza EsquibiasThu, April 23, 2026 at 7:43 PM UTC
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Kate Hudson in 'Running Point'Credit: Courtesy of Netflix -
Running Point honored a late varsity volleyball player named Niko Mijailovic with a tribute card in season 2
Mijailovic died in April 2025 from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) at age 15
It was said at his memorial that the Netflix series was the last show he and his family watched together
Running Point is honoring a late Los Angeles teen athlete.
Episode three of the Netflix series’ second season ended with a tribute card for Niko Mijailovic, a varsity volleyball player who died suddenly at just 15 years old last year. The message read, “In Loving Memory of #6 Niko Mijailovic,” highlighting his jersey number.
Mijailovic was a ninth grader at the private L.A. school Campbell Hall, which he attended since kindergarten, when he suffered from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in April 2025. It was revealed at his memorial service that the last show he watched with his family was Running Point, a sports dramedy starring Kate Hudson as the president of the L.A. Waves NBA team.
Tribute to Niko Mijailovic in 'Running Point'Credit: Netflix
Since his death, his older sister Mila, who is also a volleyball player at Yale, has worked to raise awareness for SCA in young athletes through the national initiative Huddle For Hearts. The organization shared a video of Mila speaking about Niko and his story in a touching Instagram post on April 8.
“There was no warning, and as far as we knew, he was completely healthy,” she revealed. “He was always active and played sports his entire life. He loved volleyball the most, playing both on his high school varsity team as a freshman, as well as playing club.”
She went on to explain that Niko began playing the sport because of her, creating a special bond between them.
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“He was there for every single part of my volleyball career, always supporting me,” Mila recalled. “As an athlete, he had a lot of drive and a lot of big goals. He also wanted to play Division I volleyball one day, and I always looked forward to seeing him achieve that. He also just has always been a really bright and happy person. He always made people feel comfortable and included. He was my number one supporter.”
“He was my brother, but also my best friend,” she continued. “Losing him has been the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, but what makes it harder is that we didn't know anything was wrong. There weren’t any signs that something like this was going to happen, until the one morning I got the phone call that he just didn't wake up.”
Campbell Hall also paid tribute to Niko by retiring his jersey.
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Shortly after his death, the cast of The Pitt honored Niko’s legacy as well, with actress Lesley Boone sharing photos of her with Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball and Fiona Dourif holding up green hearts with Niko’s picture on them.
“Honoring sweet Niko's memory today and holding his family in our hearts. 💚💔✨🕊️,” she captioned the post.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
