Gilbert, who turns 58 tomorrow, has made few public appearances since suffering a stroke in MayNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Quicken Loans CEO JAY FARNER said that the company's Founder and Cavaliers Owner DAN GILBERT, who suffered a serious stroke in May, is "'more engaged each and every day' with his mortgage empire and could make a public appearance in February." Gilbert, who turns 58 tomorrow, has made "few public appearances since suffering a stroke a month before the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic in June." Farner hinted that Gilbert "could make a public appearance either on or before Feb. 21, when he will be honored at the MGM Grand Detroit Casino as Crain's Detroit Business inaugural Newsmaker Hall of Famer" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/16).
HONORS & AWARDS: Former NFLer and ALS advocate STEVE GLEASON yesterday became the 163rd recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal for becoming a "leading advocate for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since he was diagnosed with the paralyzing neuromuscular disease" in '11. Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress "united" to honor Gleason. Saints QB DREW BREES was among the speakers during the ceremony in DC (Acadiana ADVOCATE, 1/16)....San Diego State will honor Clippers F KAWHI LEONARD at its Feb. 1 game against Utah State by "raising his jersey" into the Viejas Arena rafters (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/16).
NAMES: Nike co-Founder & Chair Emeritus PHIL KNIGHT has given $1.6B to his private foundation, bringing the organization's total assets to "more than" $2B. The Knight Foundation now stands alongside the Oregon Community Foundation as the "biggest grant-making organizations in the region" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/15)....The Patriots, through the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program, donated $250,000 to the city of Springfield, Mass., which is "planning to establish a new athletic field behind Duggan Academy." The team's donation will "go a long way toward making that plan a reality" (Springfield REPUBLICAN, 1/16)....Late ESPN reporter EDWARD ASCHOFF's fiancee yesterday said that he "died of advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, not pneumonia," as earlier believed. Aschoff's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was "centered in his lungs and had reached stage 4" (DEADLINE.com, 1/15).
NOTE FROM THE NBA: The NBA mourns the loss of our long-time leader, friend and commissioner: DAVID J. STERN. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held for family and friends on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in New York City. For additional information, please contact cblitz@nba.com.
