Netflix’s Kate Hudson-led basketball comedy series Running Point paid tribute to 15-year-old Niko Mijailovic, who tragically died from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in April 2025. The title card in the third episode of Running Point Season 2 featured Mijailovic’s name. He was a star varsity volleyball player for his school.

Running Point Season 2 honors Niko Mijailovic after tragic death

Running Point Season 2 returned to Netflix with another drama-packed premise. However, one thing that left many fans curious was a tribute in the third episode of the new season. In a title card of the third episode of the season, the text read, “In Loving Memory of #6 Niko Mijailovic.” Those unfamiliar with the name did not understand what this tribute was about.

This is in honor of Niko Mijailovic, a Los Angeles boy who died at 15 last year from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). He was an eighth-grader at the elite private Campbell Hall. He was also a star varsity volleyball player for the school and wore a #6 jersey (via Deadline).

During Mijailovic’s memorial service, his family mentioned that Running Point was the last thing he watched. Some friends of the deceased teenager’s family are connected to the production team of Running Point. This is how the production came to learn of Mijailovic’s story and decided to pay tribute to him.

Since his death, his sister, Mila, who is also a volleyball player at Yale, has raised awareness for SCA in young athletes through the national initiative Huddle For Hearts.

The organization posted a video of Mila speaking about her brother and the condition he suffered from. “There was no warning, and as far as we knew, he was completely healthy,” she said. “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.”

All the episodes of Running Point Season 2 are now available to stream on Netflix.