CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers honored the legacy of Nick Gilbert on Sunday night when they hosted the New York Knicks.

Gilbert was the son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Nick passed away in May 2023 after complications from a genetic condition called to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Now Gilbert's story is inspiring others who have the genetic condition to stay positive. 

Allyson Lejzorowicz made the trip from Michigan to watch the Cavs battle the New York Knicks.

“It brought luck to the Cavaliers, so like four or five years in a row, he wore this bow tie,” she explained to her daughters.

But the game wasn’t the only reason she drove all the way to Cleveland. She was also there to honor the legacy of Nick Gilbert during the team’s second annual Bow Tie Night.

Last year, Gilbert lost his battle to NF1, a genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on the brain, spinal cord and skin.

Gilbert’s legacy hits home for Lejzorowicz, who has been living with NF for almost her entire life.

“He’s inspired me to be more electric and more positive and try to dig deeper and be a better role model for people with NF,” she said.

In his honor, she’s said she’s going to spread awareness to educate people on NF.

“So many people look at you and just see bumps and they don’t see, they don’t see your soul, they don’t see a person they just see someone to be afraid of and run after because they’re afraid of it,” she said.

Lejzorowicz’s daughter was also diagnosed with the genetic condition.

“I had to show her that NF would not have her, that she was who she is inside,” she said. “It was always really scary telling your boyfriend when you were 18 or 20 or 25, ‘Hey, I have this genetic disorder that I can pass onto our kids, so do you want to marry me?’” she said.

But Lejzorowicz found the love of her life and a family she said has stood by her side through it all.

It was a similar support system that Nick Gilbert’s brother Grant said kept a smile on Nick’s face.

“We did a Bow Tie Night last year when Nick was still with us because we really wanted him to feel seen and feel supported,” he said.

Nick Gilbert wore a bow tie during several of the NBA draft lottery lotteries, including 2011 and 2013, when the Cavs landed the number one overall pick.

Grant Gilbert said he wants his brother’s legacy to be much more.

“Not just from the lottery and getting the first overall picks, but just his spirit and what he meant to each team, whether it was the championship years or the rebuilding years, he was there relentlessly, unwaveringly,” he said.

Lejzorowicz said she’s making sure to have that same positive energy, and she’s thankful she can look to the Cavs for support.

“I would’ve loved to have met him and I want to be that kind of person so I can educate people and create community,” she said.

The Gilbert Family Foundation matched every dollar raised during the event for NF Forward, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for NF. The Gilberts also announced a major investment last year to create the Nick Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Research Institute in Detroit, the first in-person NF focused institute.

While this was the second annual Bow Tie Night, it was the first time it was presented by the Gilly project created by the Gilberts to make sure awareness for NF continues to spread.