Watch: Mavs Rookie Dereck Lively Makes Fun of Jayson Tatum's NBA Championship Celebrations in Hilarious Video

The Mavericks had fun taking Dereck Lively to the dinosaur park for their scheduled release video. And the young center had fun mocking Jayson Tatum!

By Natasha Bose

Published on Aug 27, 2024 | 12:05 PM IST | 56.6K

Dereck Lively Mocks Jayson Tatum’s Title Celebrations in Comedic Rant

As NBA 2K started revealing the top 100 players for NBA 2K25 game, one former Blue Devil got some fantastic news early on.

Dereck Lively II, who just wrapped up his rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, was ranked as the 98th-best player in the game. Lively boasted an 81 overall rating. Dereck Lively made it to the NBA Finals in his first season, recording four double-doubles during Dallas's playoff journey.

As it turns out, the Mavericks took center Dereck Lively II to a dinosaur park, poking fun at Jayson Tatum from the Celtics, 76ers rookie Jared McCain, and others in a hilarious video.

Dereck Lively holding the egg to mock Jayson Tatum holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy like Kobe Bryant did is a classic moment, even though the Mavs lost to Tatum's Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Jared McCain of the 76ers, known for his love of TikToks, was also a target, and this likely won't be the last time a team points it out. All three players—Lively, Tatum, and McCain—are former Duke Blue Devils.

So, what Dereck Lively II did here was mock Jayson Tatum mocking Kevin Garnett. A bit confused? Let's clear it up. When Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics secured the 2023-24 NBA title, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games, Tatum celebrated in a unique way.

After the win, Tatum recreated some iconic moments, including former Celtic Kevin Garnett’s famous “Anything is possible!” celebration after winning the 2008 title, though Tatum said, “We did it” instead.

He also mimicked Kobe Bryant’s iconic jacket pose, Steph Curry’s “What they gonna say now?” celebration, and Kanye West’s “I guess we will never know” speech at the Grammys.

Apparently, Tatum wasn't done with the tributes, as he struck an iconic Leonardo DiCaprio pose on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s July issue. While DiCaprio has lifted a glass in several movies, the most memorable is from the 2013 romance drama “The Great Gatsby.” It’s clear that SI and Tatum wanted to have some fun with the fans while celebrating the incredible summer that the champion was enjoying.

Returning to the original video, other references include Anthony Edwards telling Charles Barkley to "Bring Yo Ass," a phrase that gained popularity in Minnesota during the Western Conference Finals before Dallas beat them in five games, a fish splashing in a pond with the line "You see that splash, bro" aimed at the Golden State Warriors, and a father-son nod to LeBron James and Bronny James on the LA Lakers.

Dereck Lively had an outstanding rookie season, especially considering the emotional challenge of losing his mother. He became a top-tier rim protector and lob threat for the Mavs.

Luka Doncic hasn’t had a teammate like Dereck Lively before, and this partnership propelled the Mavs to the NBA Finals in Lively's first season. His performance will likely only improve, especially if the three-pointer he nailed in Game 4 against the Celtics is a sign of things to come.