FILE - Cleveland Indians owner Nick Mileti, center, said manager Ken Aspromonte, right, has been rehired to a "Multiple Years" contract Oct. 4, 1972 in Cleveland. Mileti, who helped found the Cleveland Cavaliers and a prominent figure in the city's sports circles, has died. He was 93. (AP Photo, File)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nick Mileti, who helped found the Cleveland Cavaliers and became a prominent figure in the city’s sports landscape in the 1970s, has died. He was 93.

Mileti died in his sleep Wednesday in Rocky River, Ohio, according to a spokesman for the Cleveland Guardians, one of several teams Mileti once owned.

The son of Sicilian immigrants emerged as one of the city’s true powerbrokers after purchasing a minor league hockey team, the Cleveland Barons, and the Cleveland Arena in 1968.

He became a key figure in ownership groups that started purchasing or founding other franchises. In 1970, they brought the NBA to Cleveland by selling shares of the expansion-team Cavaliers at $5 each to raise $2.25 million and cover the $3.7 million expansion fee.

“A true pioneer in the world of sports, Nick was not just a leader; he was a dreamer who transformed that dream into reality for countless fans in Cleveland,” the Cavaliers said in a statement. “Nick Mileti changed the course of Cleveland sports history, and his passion and commitment will be deeply missed.”

He purchased controlling interest in 1972 in the city’s Major League Baseball franchise, then named the Indians, as part of a group that included future U.S. Sen. Howard Metzenbaum.

Mileti also bought a World Hockey Association franchise in 1972 and moved it from Calgary to Cleveland, renaming the franchise the Crusaders, and owned two of the city’s largest radio stations.

He was replaced as Indians president in 1975 and, under pressure from banks, sold his stakes in the team.