Former Duke star Dereck Lively II's mother, Kathy Drysdale, dies after cancer battle

Former Duke star Dereck Lively II announced his mother, Kathy Drysdale, passed away Friday. She was 53.

Drysdale – a former Penn State women’s basketball star – was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and battled the disease for 11 years. She was Lively’s biggest support as he starred at Duke and ultimately went to the Dallas Mavericks as a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Lively posted an emotional tribute to his mother on Instagram and reflected on their relationship.

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A post shared by Dereck Lively, II (@derecklively)

“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 in his tribute. “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 bullshitting.”

Drysdale was a fixture at Mavericks games this year, cheering on her son. The team held a moment of silence prior to tip-off of Friday night’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons and released a statement on her death.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by this loss,” the statement read. “On behalf of our organization and our team, we would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the entire Drysdale family, who are faced with an unimaginable loss. So much of Kathy, her strength, tenacity and joy is reflected in her son.

“She left an indelible mark on each of us within the Dallas Mavericks organization and all those who were fortunate enough to spend time with her. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dereck and his entire family.”

Drysdale starred at Penn State from 1988-92 and was part of the Lady Lions team that ranked No. 1 in 1992. She then went on to work for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2003, but returned to Happy Valley in 2011 as the Director of Fan Experience and Marketing Director.

But her bond with Lively was special, especially considering his father died when he was young. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd pointed out Lively’s resilience as Drysdale’s health took a turn as he was battling an injury, which kept him away from the court.

“Incredible woman,” Kidd said. “As much as we talk about his injury, he had other things that were going on. The world will know about his mom passing, but D-Live this morning wanted to get back into the swing of coming to work. He spoke to the team, 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. And then shortly after that, his mom passed.

“Just incredible (statement) of who Dereck Lively is as a young man to talk to the team and talk to his new family. And this is his new family because of his parents’ passing.”