Cavs Insider

Cleveland Cavaliers to Honor Franchise Icon with "Bow Tie Night"

The third annual celebration will be held on March 2.

Gavin Dorsey

May 15, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Son of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Nick Gilbert adjusts his wooden tie during the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery at the Palmer House Hilton. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
May 15, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; Son of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Nick Gilbert adjusts his wooden tie during the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery at the Palmer House Hilton. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced their third annual Bow Tie Night presented by The Gilly Project on Monday, which is set to "honor the life, legacy and impact" of Nick Gilbert, the late son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

Nick Gilbert passed away in 2023 at the age of 26 after a lifelong battle with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease that causes noncancerous tumors to grow on the body. Gilbert was a "good luck charm" for the Cavaliers, who won both the 2011 and 2013 NBA Draft Lotteries with Gilbert as the team's representative.

Bow Tie Night is named after Gilbert's signature look and will take place on March 2, when the Cavaliers host the Portland Trail Blazers.

Each fan in attendance will be given a Nick Gilbert bobblehead that resembles the moment that Cleveland won the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery. Bow Tie Night merchandise and apparel will also be sold at the arena and online, with all proceeds going to NF Forward, a non-profit with the goal of curing neurofibromatosis.

The bow tie symbol will also be on players' warm-up jackets prior to the game. During halftime of the 2024 Bow Tie Night, Gilbert's legacy was immortalized in the rafters of Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with a banner.

Read More Cleveland Cavaliers Content

MORE: Cleveland Cavaliers Superstar Opens Up On New All-Star Game Format

MORE: Darius Garland Trades Barbs With Former Cavaliers Forward

MORE: Analyst Praises Cavaliers Trio After NBA's All-Star Saturday Night

MORE: REPORT: Cavaliers Ownership 'Likely' To Receive WNBA Expansion Team

MORE: Brian Windhorst Reveals His Crazy NBA Finals Travel Strategy

Published
Gavin Dorsey
GAVIN DORSEY

Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and assists in covering a handful of other teams in the On SI network, including the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Texans and Ohio State Buckeyes. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.

Home/News