{"id":511930,"date":"2026-03-03T16:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511930\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T16:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:24:10","slug":"cleveland-cavaliers-to-hold-4th-annual-bow-tie-game-honoring-nick-gilberts-legacy-and-nf-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/511930\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleveland Cavaliers to hold 4th annual Bow Tie Game honoring Nick Gilbert’s legacy and NF awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The March 8 game against the Celtics will feature fan engagement moments, bow tie-themed merchandise and a special tribute to those living with neurofibromatosis.<\/p>\n

CLEVELAND \u2014 The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> will once again transform a Sunday afternoon game into something far more meaningful than basketball.<\/p>\n

For the fourth consecutive year, Rocket Arena\u00a0<\/a>will become a gathering place for fans, families and those touched by a disease<\/a> that doesn’t get nearly enough attention.<\/p>\n

The fourth annual Bow Tie Game<\/a> presented by\u00a0The Gilly Project<\/a> is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, when the Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics for a Classic Edition Night. The game serves as a tribute to Nick Gilbert \u2014 son of Cavaliers Chairman Dan Gilbert and Jennifer Gilbert \u2014 who passed away in May 2023 after a lifelong battle with neurofibromatosis, commonly known as NF.<\/a><\/p>\n

NF is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways throughout the body, potentially leading to blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disabling pain and cancer. NF1, the most common form of the disease, occurs in approximately one in every 2,500 births worldwide.<\/p>\n


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Throughout his 27 years, Nick Gilbert<\/a> became a recognizable face and spirit within the Cavaliers organization \u2014 perhaps best known for his appearance representing the team at the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery, where his catchphrase “What’s Not to Like?” became part of franchise lore. His signature bow tie evolved into a symbol of the NF community and the awareness work he dedicated his life to.<\/p>\n

In partnership with The Gilly Project, NFX and the Gilbert Family Foundation, the Cavaliers have continued to use the annual Bow Tie Game to raise awareness, support NF research and recognize families impacted by the disease. This year’s event will include special in-arena programming and fan engagement moments honoring those in the NF community.<\/p>\n

All fans in attendance will receive a Classic Edition-themed “What’s Not to Like” rally towel. On-court activities will include a Tie a Bow Tie Race and live interactive bow tie trivia. Players will again wear the bow tie symbol on their warm-up jackets, and mascots, in-arena hosts and entertainment teams will incorporate bow tie-themed attire throughout the game.<\/p>\n

One of the more memorable in-game moments will be the “Glow Tie” tribute at the end of the third quarter, when fans are invited to light up a bow tie outline in the crowd. Fans are also encouraged to wear bow ties to the game.<\/p>\n

A Bow Tie Collection \u2014 featuring bow tie-themed apparel and accessories \u2014 will be available at Center Court at Rocket Arena, at Pinecrest and online at Cavs.com\/Shop. A bow tie-themed option will also be available at the MyMoments personalization kiosk inside the arena. Proceeds from the Bow Tie Collection and from purchases at Gilly’s, the sports bar on Rocket Arena’s Loudville level, will benefit NFX.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The March 8 game against the Celtics will feature fan engagement moments, bow tie-themed merchandise and a special…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-511930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}