Dereck Lively II

Dereck Jerome Lively II (born February 12, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class.

Lively was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2024.

Early life
He was born on February 12, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to father Philadelphia-born, chef Dereck Lively and mother Southfield, Michigan-born Kathy Phillips Drysdale, a former Penn State basketball star. Drysdale, who holds the college's record for consecutive field goals made and ranks in the top-20 in Penn State history in rebounds and blocks, worked for the Philadelphia 76ers in their entertainment division and then served as the Penn State women’s basketball marketing manager. She died in 2024 from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Lively’s father battled drug addiction for years and died in 2012 from an overdose.

High school career
Lively attended Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania, leading Westtown to a 31–7 record and the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association state championship in 2022. As a senior, he averaged 14.0 points, 14.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. He was selected to play in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

Recruiting
Lively was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2022 class, according to major recruiting services. On September 20, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Duke over offers from Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State.

College career
Before the start of the 2022–23 season, Lively was named to the Naismith and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award preseason watchlists. As a freshman at Duke, he averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Lively was named to both ACC All-Freshman and Defensive teams.

On April 4, 2023, Lively declared for the 2023 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Professional career
The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Lively 12th overall in the 2023 NBA draft and then traded him to the Dallas Mavericks, with whom he signed on July 8, 2023. On October 25, 2023, Lively made his NBA regular-season debut putting up 16 points, 10 rebounds, one block, and one steal in a 126–119 win against the San Antonio Spurs. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team second team. Lively ended his rookie season by reaching the 2024 NBA Finals where the Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.