On September 20, 2021, he committed to playing college basketball for Duke over offers from Kentucky, Michigan and Penn State.

[7][8][9] Sources: Before the start of the 2022–23 season, Lively was named to the Naismith and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award preseason watchlists.

[14] The Oklahoma City Thunder selected Lively 12th overall in the 2023 NBA draft and then traded him to the Dallas Mavericks,[15] with whom he signed on July 8, 2023.

[16] On October 25, 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.

[18] Lively ended his rookie season by reaching the 2024 NBA Finals where the Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.