Dereck Lively II pens emotional message to world as mother passes away after battling cancer

The Mavericks organization and others have sent their regards to their rookie.

Dereck Lively II pens emotional message to world as mother passes away after battling cancer

Dereck Lively with his late mother (Via Open Source/X)

Dereck Lively II, the Dallas Mavericks’ center, shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram following the passing of his mother. Lively’s mother, Kathy Drysdale, had an amazing bond with her son. Kathy supported Dereck in all parts of his journey to become the player he is now. However, she did all this while battling cancer for over a decade.

On Friday, Dereck Lively posted about his late mother on Instagram, describing the bond he had with her. Having played for multiple teams before his debut in the league, Lively’s mother was respectfully recognized by his former teammates as well as coaches. The Maverick got his basketball DNA from his mother, as Kathy was a former center of the Penn State women’s basketball team. 

My heart breaks saying goodbye to the most important person in the world to me, my best friend, my superhero, my biggest cheerleader and mom, Kathy Drysdale. There is no one in this world that can love you more than your mother. As strong and stubborn as she is I have watched her struggle, fight and survive cancer for the past 11 years and now her battle has ended surround by family, friends and her teammates. I truly can’t imagine my life without her but I know I have an angel in the stands always and forever cheering my one and yelling at me if I’m bullsh**ting.
Dereck Lively wrote on Instagram

Kathy also worked for the Philadelphia 76ers for about 13 years. She had a stellar resume and continued to give back to the game as much as she could. Drysdale was a well-respected individual in most of her workplaces and after her son made it to the big stage, the mother-son duo couldn’t have been more perfect.

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The Mavericks sent their regards to Dereck Lively

As soon as the news hit, the Mavericks were not late to send their regards to their rookie. Lively has been suffering a knee injury and has been trying to recover. Tragedy struck at the worst time possible. Head coach Jason Kidd also gave his condolences as well as shared what the rookie was going through off the court.

Kathy Drysdale was battling cancer for 11 years, as told by Lively on his Instagram post. The whole time, Drysdale held her chin up, supporting her son in his journey. From varsity to college to the NBA, behind Lively’s success, was his mother. It was devastating for the organization as well to bear the news, as they sent their condolences to the family.

Dereck had an incredible season as a rookie. His numbers have been great, and the Mavericks have also improved their position as the postseason approaches. According to his head coach, Jason Kidd, Lively has looked to get back into practice.

As a rookie, Lively has been through a lot within a year. Though with the playoffs approaching, he will look to occupy himself with his upcoming postseason debut.

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