Dallas Mavericks' Dereck Lively II Demonstrates Remarkable Strength Despite Personal Loss: 'It's Tough, Man'

Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II discusses balancing basketball and personal loss, emphasizing his team's support and his mother's memory.

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) reacts / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — Dereck Lively II played 19 minutes against the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Dallas Mavericks first-round playoff series, marking his return since a knee injury on March 31. The result was a 109-97 defeat in which he finished with three points, four rebounds, and three blocks in 19 minutes of action.

While many are focused on the postseason—including Lively—he has faced matters far more important than basketball. Lively’s mother, Kathy Drysdale, passed away from cancer on April 12 at the age of 53, adding emotional weight to his comeback. Lively has enjoyed being around his teammates and using basketball as an outlet.

"I ain’t around my teammates,” Lively said. “I’m around my family. This is the only place where I can come to bond. There’s really been a lot going on in my life. There’s been a lot of chaos, a lot of things going on, and this is the only place where I can come to bond.”

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) reacts / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Drysdale had been battling cancer since 2013, and Lively had turned to social media to express his grief, highlighting his mother as his superhero and biggest cheerleader. Discussing his attempt to continue with his basketball career while mourning, Lively shared a valuable perspective he learned from Drysdale.

“Man, it’s hard, man. It’s hard being able to just try not to move on, but kind of just not act like nothing happened," Lively said. "But you got to be able to keep it moving. That’s kind of what my mom would want me to do. That’s kind of what she was doing throughout the whole time.”

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd noted Lively's strength during this trying period, particularly his ability to compartmentalize and remain focused.

“I think when you talk about D-Live and his ability to learn, to go through different experiences, different life experiences that we all know that he’s going through right now, just to absorb that and to learn from that, and that’s what that young man has done all season is learn what the NBA is all about and has played for us at a high level and we’re going to need him in Game 2 to do that for us," Kidd said.

Lively also took the initiative to communicate with his teammates about his feelings on the day of his mother’s passing, recognizing the impact his grief might have on his demeanor.

“I just wanted to make sure my teammates knew what was going on, because there definitely was a change in my character, a change in what’s been going on in my head,” Lively said. “There’s times when I’m not as joyous, I’m not as loud, I’m not (laughing as much), I’m not as dancing and doing all those things, because there’s a lot of things going on in my head.

“There’s a lot of things that’s going on off the court that makes it hard to focus on the court," Lively explained. "But whenever I get on the court it just seems like everything goes quiet and I can finally come back and have a moment with myself and I don’t have to worry about anyone talking to me and telling me what to do.”

Reflecting on his mother's resilience, Lively draws inspiration from her strength, describing her influence as having "passed the torch," a responsibility he carries now.

“No matter what was going on, no matter how she felt, she always kept it pushing,” Lively said. “My mom was on her death bed, and she shrugged her shoulders and was acting like nothing was happening.

“She said: ‘I’m fine. I’m staying here. I ain’t going nowhere.’ So just being able to see that attitude makes me realize, ‘Alright, I’ve got to continue it.’ " Lively explained. "She passed the torch on to me, and I’ve got to carry it now.”

Entering Game 2, Lively emphasized the importance of being aggressive and disciplined in Game 2 against the Clippers, acknowledging the inevitability of mistakes but stressing the need to capitalize on opportunities.

“Instead of taking the first punch, throw the first punch,” Lively said. “Go out there and be able to make sure that we’re going to be the aggressor, we’re going to be the more disciplined defensive rotation (team), more defensive talk (team), and be able to execute when it comes to the offensive end.