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Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II dedicated a breakout Game 6 performance to his mother on Saturday, remembering her spirit after she died last month. The 7-footer scored 12 points and hauled in 15 rebounds as outlasted in a . Lively penned a message to his mother after the game.

"Love you momma, miss you momma. Just sit back [and] watch," Lively wrote on Instagram. Lively's mother, Kathy Drysdale, was a standout basketball player in her own right, eclipsing 1,000 career points at Penn State.



She laid the groundwork for the most successful period in Nittany Lions program history. Drysdale graduated from State College in 1992 and dedicated her life to basketball around the state of Pennsylvania, working in game management for the 's for 13 years before returning to her alma mater in 2011 as the women's basketball marketing manager. Drysdale died on April 12 after a 10-year bout with Hodgkins Lymphoma at 53 years old.

Lively penned a heartfelt social media post that evening celebrating his mother's life. “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," he wrote. "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.” "My mom was a beautiful soul, loved by ever.

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