Nick Mileti was an attorney, author, and businessman who was founder of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and former owner of the MLB’s Cleveland Indians.
- Died: August 21, 2024 (Who else died on August 21?)
- Details of death: Died in Rocky River, Ohio at the age of 93.
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Nick Mileti’s legacy
Cleveland sports giant Nick Mileti was a native of the city, graduating from Bowling Green State University and earning his doctorate from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. While practicing law, he purchased the Cleveland Arena and the hockey team that played there, the Cleveland Barons, his first step into what became a brief-but-significant legacy in sports.
When the National Basketball Association began seeking expansion teams in 1970, Mileti headed the group that eventually led to the creation of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Two years later, his group also bought baseball’s Cleveland Indians, helping prevent the team from moving to New Orleans. His time as owner was short-lived, however. By 1980, he had divested himself of his interest in the sports franchises.
In his post-sports semi-retirement, he owned several radio stations. Mileti was also an author, penning three books: 2004’s “Closet Italians: A Dazzling Collection of Illustrious Italians with Non-Italian Names,” “Beyond Michaelangelo: The Deadly Rivalry between Borromini and Bernini,” released the following year, and 2009’s “The Unscrupulous: Scams, Cons, Fakes & Frauds that Poison the Fine Arts.”
Tributes to Nick Mileti
Full obituary: ESPN
