Mavs Rookie Dereck Lively II Receives Advice From Mother: ‘Continue To Be Who You Are’

For a family that has faced an abundance of adversity, where Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively and his mother, Kathy Drysdale, are today is testament to never giving up.

On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks notched their first Summer League victory in a 111-103 comeback win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and rookie big man Dereck Lively II showed flashes of improvement from Saturday’s debut. Lively recovered from having early foul trouble, finishing with eight points, 11 rebounds, and two assists on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in 24 minutes of action. 

During the third quarter of Monday night’s game, Lively’s mother, Kathy Drysdale, spoke with ESPN’s Kendra Andrews on her son’s path to the NBA, which intertwined with her own journey.

“It’s actually really surreal,” Drysdale said of Dereck finally being in the NBA. “It’s still kind of a pinch-me moment because he’s worked so hard to get to this point and to see him wear an actual NBA jersey, it’s like ‘wow, you did it. You made it.’”

From what Lively and his family have gone through, it’s surreal, indeed. From losing his father to a drug overdose in 2011, to Drysdale being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was only 9-years old, the former Blue Devil has been through the ringer on his path to where he is today. 

“It makes it extra special. Absolutely makes it extra special,” Drysdale said of their journey. “

In his introductory press conference, Lively spoke on his family’s hardship, including his mother’s strength. “Just to see where she's at right now, right in front of me to be able to be here in this place, it just makes me want to work harder,” Lively said. “It just makes me want to provide a life for her that's better than anything she could possibly get for herself."

As for the advice given from Lively’s mother? “Continue to be who you are, play hard. Defense got you here, offense is going to come and just listen, develop, and grow,” Drysdale said. 

If Dereck continues to be the man who got him to this point and grows within that, he’ll be just fine with his mom by his side every step of the way as he tries to become one of best big men in the NBA.

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