Cleveland — Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and billionaire businessman, is recovering after suffering symptoms of a stroke and seeking hospital care. His company, Quicken Loans, said in a statement that he “received immediate medical attention and is currently recovering comfortably.”
No other details were provided on Gilbert’s condition, diagnosis or prognosis. The company said Gilbert’s family requests privacy at this time.
Gilbert has owned the Cavs since 2005. The 57-year-old introduced new Cavs coach John Beilein at a press conference Tuesday at the team’s training facility in Independence, Ohio. Gilbert also owns several other sports franchises in the city, including the American Hockey Leagues’ Cleveland Monsters and Arena Football League’s Cleveland Gladiators.
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His hospitalization comes a month before his Rocket Mortgage is to host Detroit’s first PGA Tour event. It also follows his launch of a ballot drive just days earlier to push auto insurance reform in Michigan. The state Legislature passed a landmark insurance reform bill Friday.
While best known as the Cavs’ sometimes outspoken owner, Gilbert is connected to numerous business ventures that that have propelled urban recoveries in Detroit and Cleveland. Under his ownership, the Cavs have gone to five NBA Finals and won the championship in 2016, the first major sports title for any Cleveland franchise since 1964.
Gilbert famously wrote a scathing letter to Cavs fans after superstar LeBron James left as a free agent in 2010. But the two men patched up their differences, which led to James re-signing with his home state team in 2014.
Beyond his business ties, Gilbert has been deeply involved in raising millions to fight neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic nerve disorder that afflicted his 23-year-old son, Nick. The younger Gilbert had surgery last year to remove a brain tumor.
Gilbert and wife Jennifer have five children. Forbes calculates Gilbert’s fortune as being worth $7.3 billion, according to the Reuters news agency.
