Dereck Lively II Details Mavs Support After Mother's Passing

The rising star says everyone stepped up when he needed it most

Oct 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) looks to pass as Milwaukee Bucks center Anzejs Pasecniks (18) defends during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dereck Lively II went through a traumatic experience at the end of his rookie season, losing his mother, Kathy Drysdale, to a long battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in April. Just before the playoffs began, Lively had lost his biggest supporter and was without both parents at just 20 years old (his father passed away in 2012). That can be a lot for anyone to overcome, but Lively says he had the support of his Dallas Maverick teammates.

On a feature for ESPN's "Clutch: The NBA Playoffs," Lively talked about how important it was for him to have his teammates around him.

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Dereck Lively II honors his late mother, Kathy Drysdale, who died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

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"I came back one night, and I just looked her in the eyes, and she just wasn't there," Lively said. "April 12th, she passed. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to react, I didn't know where to go. Each and every single one of my teammates came up and said, 'If you need anything, just let me know.' My friends are my teammates, so they're the only people who see how I act, they can tell if I'm a little off and they did. And they tried to make sure they could do anything they could to help get my mind off of things or even talk to me about it if I needed to."

Despite dealing with this personal turmoil, Lively proved indispensable for the Mavericks in their run to the NBA Finals. He dominated on the glass against the Oklahoma City Thunder and showed some of the flashes that make Dallas believe he has All-Star potential.

Lively enters his second season as a likely starter for a contender and will combine with Daniel Gafford to have one of the best center duos in the NBA.

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