What happened to Dereck Lively II's mother? Closer look at Mavericks center's family facing major setback

Rookie big man for the Dallas Mavericks Dereck Lively II and his family have suffered an unfortunate loss. The team recently shared that the rookie's family is mourning after the passing of his mother, Kathy Drysdale to cancer.

Drysdale, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014, underwent extensive treatment over a decade, including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. She raised Lively as a single parent following the tragic passing of his father in January 2012 from a heroin overdose.

On Instagram, Lively shared a heartfelt message dedicated to his mother, who was always in his corner.

"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," Lively wrote. "There is no one in this world that can love you more than your mother.

"I love u and will always miss u as well, just know I’ll be ok mom. Fly high."

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Mavs head coach on the passing of Dereck Lively II's mother

Following the news of the passing of Kathy Drysdale, Mavs head coach, Jason Kidd addressed the media.

"Incredible woman, talking about D-Lively's mom," Kidd said. "Incredible. As much as we talk about his injury, he had other things that were going on, about his mom passing.

According to Kidd, Lively wanted to get back to work with the team despite his injury and the battle that his mother was going through with cancer at the time.

"He spoke to the team before, which was incredible for a 20-year old to talk about what he was going through off the court. Not just with the injury but with his mom."

Kidd praised Lively for the courage that he displayed to address the team about what was going through with his life. The head coach sees Lively's situation with the Mavs as his new family since his father passed away.

Additionally, the Mavs shut down the rookie as he continues to deal with an injury. Lively suffered a right knee sprain and has missed the team's last six games.

Nevertheless, Lively's rookie year has been sensational. He's played 55 games, averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. The 7 ft. 1 big man has shown promise in his first professional season in the league.

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