Nick Gilbert, the son of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, known to many basketball fans as the talisman who represented the team in multiple NBA draft picks, died Saturday at the age of 26.
The Detroit News’ Maisha Johnson wrote in a funeral notice from Ira Kaufman Chapel that “Nick passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family.”
Gilbert was diagnosed with the genetic disorder “neurofibromatosis” when he was 15 months old, and had undergone multiple chemotherapy treatments, brain surgeries, and vision loss. The disease “grows noncancerous tumors along nerves, such as in the skin and brain,” Johnson said.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn reported that Gilbert represented the team in the 2011 draft lottery, where he won the No. 1 pick from the Los Angeles Clippers with a 2.8 percent chance of going first. It is pointed out that there is also a case.
Cleveland named Kyrie Irving with this nomination, and he took the biggest shot in franchise history with a Game 7 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Gilbert represented the team in the 2013 draw, earning the first pick and being used by Anthony Bennett.
Gilbert sent two of his trademark bow ties to Kobe Altman when he represented the Cavaliers in the 2021 draw. The team ended up being the 3rd overall pick that year and used it in the Evan Mobley draft.
Gilbert remains a beloved figure in Cavaliers history, and Johnson noted that the Gilbert Family Foundation has announced that it will provide more than $18 million in grants in 2022 toward a cure for NF.
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