Dallas Mavericks’ Centers Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell will advocate for cancer awareness. Lively II, 20, lost his mother, Kathy Drysdale, to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on April 12, 2024, after an 11-year battle with the rare cancer in the lymphatic system. Powell, 33, lost his mother, Jacqueline Weir, from an aggressive form of breast cancer after a short battle in 2012.
Lively II and Powell now sport a pink sweatband or a pair of bright pink sneakers on the court whenever possible. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the two centers each experienced the profound impact of a loved one’s cancer diagnosis turned tragic death. Here’s what you need to know.
Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell Team Up
Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell teamed up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lively, Powell, and the rest of the Mavericks team teamed up with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. This organization was named after the late Hall of Fame basketball coach Kay Yow, in an attempt to change the narrative around cancers among women by educating, empowering, and equipping the next generation. Yow faced a 22-year battle with breast cancer before she died as a stage four patient on January 24, 2009.
The Mavericks organization will continue its mission to raise awareness about the risk of breast cancer during the Mavericks’ Breast Health Awareness Night, presented by the UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center, on Monday, October 28, when the Mavericks host the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center.
Lively II and Powell’s Presentation
Dereck Lively II and Dwight Powell joined a presentation for students at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation in Dallas, Texas. Lively II and Powell shared their respective experiences with cancer and encouraged the next generation to use their power to spread cancer awareness.
Powell told Mavs.com, “It was great to have an opportunity to speak to these kids about this topic, especially with D-Live (Dereck Lively II), since he and I have shared a very unfortunate but similar experience at a young age, not much older than these kids … Hopefully, the students sense the seriousness in our voice when we say that they have power and it is important for them to take action, find ways to support their community, learn more, and have those difficult conversations because they can prevent a lot of pain, and they can prevent a lot of deaths.”
Powell added, “They have the power to change lives and power to save lives, and they need to know that. They need to feel that in their gut every day and in everything they do because that power transcends everything, and they need to use it.” Powell delivered these two messages during his and Lively II’s on-stage Q&A (Question & Answer) session after the duo’s presentation. Students at Roosevelt High School, Yvonne E. Ewell Townview Center – School of Health Professions, and PACE High School received more than a one-hour presentation.
Audra Smith, Vice President of Play for Kay with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, told Mavs.com, “Let’s say these students may not be able to change the minds of their mother or their grandmother, or whomever, but at least now they have the education and the knowledge, so when it’s time for them to have a pelvic exam, a colonoscopy, a breast exam, they won’t be fearful … Our goal with the EmPOWERment Tour is to educate and hopefully break the cycle so that, at some point, we can eradicate this terrible disease that has affected so many people.”
More Dereck Lively II News
Dereck Lively II has been a solid starting center since earning the spot this offseason. Lively II and Daniel Gafford picked up where they left off last season. They combined for 24 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in the Mavericks’ 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 at the American Airlines Center. It was the same one-two punch from them last season during their tremendous run to the 2024 NBA Finals. Spurs Center Victor Wembanyama struggled and finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and shot just 5-of-18 from the floor.
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