ESPN discusses how Dereck Lively II used NIL money to honor his late father while at Duke

When Dereck Lively II heard his name called during the 2023 NBA Draft Thursday night, there was one noticeable absence from the Barclays Center. His father and namesake, Dereck Lively Sr., died in 2011 when Lively II was just seven years old.

After his father’s death, Lively II’s family couldn’t afford a headstone for him. That all changed thanks to NIL as Lively made enough money to buy one while at Duke, as ESPN’s Malika Andrews said during the draft.

“A tremendous young man,” Andrews said of Lively. “He also used a portion of that NIL money to buy his father a tombstone — something that he was not able to have up until this past year. Dereck Lively II, incredible as a person, incredible on the floor.”

Although his father couldn’t be there with him, Lively II said hearing his name called — which is also his father’s name — will make sure his memory lives on.

“His father passed away when he was young, and he told me that certainly as Adam Silver just called his name — their shared name, the one he shares with his father — he will be on his mind,” Andrews said. “He’s just an incredibly special player.”

The death of his father wasn’t the only adversity Lively II went through growing up, though. His mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 and fought the disease until July 2022 when she went into remission. A former Penn State basketball player, she helped develop Lively II’s love of the game as he went on to star at Duke and become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.

As a thank you — if there was a way to do so — Lively II used more of his NIL earnings to buy his mother a house. She works at her alma mater, and he made sure she lived nearby.

“Lively’s story, it’s really just remarkable,” Andrews said. “He’s sharing this moment … with his mother, Kathy, who played basketball at Penn State and is the reason that he plays. He calls her a superhero. Kathy had a 10-year battle with cancer and thankfully, went into remission in July of 2022. And he told me that his proudest moment, it was using his NIL money to buy Kathy a house near Penn State, where she works now.”

If his story brought a tear to your eye, you’re not alone. ESPN analyst Bobby Marks, who previously worked for the Brooklyn Nets before jumping over to TV, said Lively did something only one other player made him do.

Marks had to leave the room after meeting with him.

“I’ve interviewed a lot of draft prospects in my tenure,” Marks said. “And there have only been two — Jimmy Butler in 2011 and Dereck Lively II — where it brought out my emotions [to] where I had to leave the room. Certainly an incredible story. It means something to everyone, this draft. It means something extra special to Dereck Lively II.”

Now, Lively is off to the Dallas Mavericks, who acquired him via a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night.