Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s son Nicolas Manuel Gilbert or Nick Gilbert, was the eldest of his five children. A Michigan State University business graduate, he was known for his signature bowtie and thick glasses look. Nick was an Ambassador for the National Children’s Tumor Foundation regarding his disorder.
Known as the lucky charm for the Cavaliers, Nick was a part of five NBA lotteries. As a 14-year-old child, he made his first appearance as a representative of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the 2011 NBA lottery in New Jersey. The lottery proved beneficial with the team getting the No.1 overall pick of Kyrie Irving.
Following this, he also made his presence known at the 2012 NBA lottery getting the No.4 pick of Bradley Beal. Later, in the 2013 NBA lottery, the team again got the No.1 pick of Anthony Bennett.
Nick was considered a lottery icon for the team getting some of the good picks. However, the youngster had to suffer a lot in terms of his health. He went through a tough time with endless hardships as he was suffering from a neurological disorder. Let’s take a look at it in detail.
Dan Gilbert’s Son Nick Young, was suffering from Neurofibromatosis
Son of Dan and Jennifer Gilbert, Nick Young was born on July 21, 1996, with Neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder in the nervous system that causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body. The disorder left him with just 25% vision in the left eye and zero vision in the right one.
At the age of 5, he underwent chemotherapy along with two brain surgeries, at the age of 10 and 21 for the treatment of his tumor. His second one in 2018, however, left him hospitalized for a month.
Taking inspiration from his disease, the Gilbert family opened up a Child’s Tumor Foundation with Nick as its Ambassador. Dan Gilbert is on the Foundation’s Board of Directors while his wife, Jennifer Gilbert, is the President of NF Forward. Their vision led to the creation of ‘BeNeFit’, an annual event in Detroit, MI. From raising funds to spreading awareness and finding a cure for NF, the Foundation made around $17 million in just four years.
Besides this, the Cavaliers, for the 2022-23 season, partnered with the Foundation and NF Forward in honor of Nick Gilbert. The ‘Bow Tie’ campaign was launched to symbolize the strength and courage of Nick and others who underwent it. The representation included a bowtie symbol in the warm-up jackets of the Cavaliers players and lapel pins worn by the officials.
We have partnered with @NFForward and @ChildrensTumor to launch the Bow Tie campaign. We’re dedicating our 2022-23 season to Nick Gilbert and the millions of others impacted by neurofibromatosis (NF).
Learn more at https://t.co/mEqaLx9AQ7! pic.twitter.com/GRFIsYWy9x
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 26, 2022
Despite such suffering, Nick was an inspiration for a lot of people like him. He, however, could not live further, passing away at 26.
