Nick Gilbert, son of Cavs owner, dies from genetic disorder at age 26
May 7—Nick Gilbert, a son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Gilbert's wife Jennifer, passed away on May 6 after losing a hard-fought lifetime battle with neurofibromatosis.
Nick Gilbert was 26 years old. A funeral announcement from the Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield, Mich. declared "Nick died peacefully at home surrounded by family." The Gilbert family lives in Michigan.
The Guardians held a moment of silence to honor Nick before their game with the Twins on May 7 at Progressive Field.
"Nick inspired people everywhere with his bravery and brought joy to everyone he met," Detroit mayor Mike Duggan wrote on Twitter. "All of Detroit has the Gilbert family in our prayers today."
Neurofibromatosis is a ondition that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow along nerve pathways in the skin, brain, and other parts of the body. According to Cancer.net: "NF1 is among the most common genetic conditions. It is estimated that as many as one in 3,000 people have an NF1 mutation. About 50% of people affected by NF1 do not have any family history of the condition."
Nick Gilbert had an infectious smile and wore a wine-colored bow tie that came to symbolize the connection between Nick and Cavaliers fans as well as the team itself. All season during the 2022-23 campaign, no matter what shirt he was wearing, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff made sure to wear a bow tie pin in recognition of Nick over his left breast. Each player wore the bow tie emblem on their sweats during pregame warmups.
Dan Gilbert bought the Cavaliers in 2005 during LeBron James' first stint with the Cavs. James left Cleveland via free agency for Miami after the 2009-10 season. Lean years that made the Cavaliers a draft lottery team quickly followed.
Nick Gilbert was often sent to New York to represent the Cavs at the lottery. The Cavaliers finished 19-63 and finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2011. The Minnesota Timberwolves finished with a worse record at 17-63, but with Nick as a good luck charm, the Cavs won the lottery and used the first pick on Kyrie Irving. Five years later, Irving made a 3-point basket to propel the Cavs past the Warriors, 93-89, in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
The Cavs were 24-58 in 2013. The Hornets and Magic finished with inferior records in the East (Each team in the West was better), yet with Nick representing the team the Cavs won the lottery again. The pick, Anthony Bennett, was a flop, but that wasn't Nick Gilbert's fault.
The Detroit News in April of 2022 reported the Gilbert Family Foundation funded more than $18 million in grants for research to find a cure for neurofibromatosis.
