Who Is Dereck Lively II's Girlfriend Elise Mimms? The Quiet Family Life Behind the Mavericks Center

Dereck Lively II is a 22-year-old, 7-foot-1 center for the Dallas Mavericks wearing No. 2. Born February 12, 2004, in Philadelphia, he starred at Westtown School and one season at Duke before being drafted 12th overall in 2023. As a rookie, he made the All-Rookie Second Team and helped Dallas reach the 2024 NBA Finals as an elite lob threat and rim protector.

The last two seasons have been limited by recurring right foot issues that required two surgeries, holding him to just 43 games combined. He averaged 4.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in only seven games in 2025-26 and enters 2026-27 on his $7.2 million team option.

All about Dereck Lively II's girlfriend, Elise Mimms

Elise Mimms is Dereck Lively II's longtime girlfriend and the mother of his daughter. Unlike many NBA WAGs, she keeps a very low profile — no verified public bio, no interviews, and private socials. She first came into wider public view in September 2025 when Lively shared birthday photos for their daughter.

According to Roundtable reporting on that post, the image showed the 7-footer cradling his one-year-old daughter Klover while Mimms looked on, confirming her as his partner. Lively captioned it, “Happy birthday, Klover Lively. My little sunshine. Thank you, God.”

The post was the first time Dereck Lively II publicly introduced his child and publicly identified Mimms as his girlfriend. Teammates and former Mavericks showed support in the comments, marking a shift for a player who had kept his dating life completely private since his Duke days.

Dereck Lively II and Elise Mimms' relationship timeline

During college at Duke in 2022-23, Lively was listed as single in every major profile. Multiple outlets reported at the time that he was focused on the draft and had no public relationship. He was drafted 12th overall in 2023 and quickly became a core piece in Dallas, making the All-Rookie Second Team in 2024 and starting in the NBA Finals. Throughout that breakout, he never posted a partner.

The timeline changed quietly in 2024. Their daughter Klover was born in September 2024, which means Mimms and Lively were together at least through 2023-24, but chose to keep the pregnancy private. They went public a year later, on September 23, 2025, for Klover's first birthday.

Since then, they have been seen as a family unit but remain intentionally private: no joint brand deals, no reality appearances. Lively, who lost his father at age 8 and his mother, Kathy Drysdale, in 2024, has spoken about wanting to be a present “girl dad,” and that family focus is now central to his off-court story as he enters his third season in Dallas.