Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith Reunites with Father After 30 Years: ‘Thank You, Mavs Family’

With help of his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, Nets' forward Dorian Finney-Smith is finally reunited with his father after a near 30-year prison sentence.

Michael Mulford | Dec 20, 2023

Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith Reunites with Father After 30 Years: ‘Thank You, Mavs Family’ /

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After nearly 30 years apart, Brooklyn Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith has been reunited with his father, Elbert Smith.

On Tuesday, Smith was released from Virginia's Greensville Correctional Center as he was met by his ex-wife, daughter, and his son, Finney-Smith, who was granted a one-day absence from the Nets to be there for his father's release.

"We just hugged," former Mavs wing Finney-Smith told the Dallas Morning News. "A long, long hug. So many questions and stuff that we have. It was very emotional."

USATSI_21751361 — Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

In July, Mavericks alternate governor Mark Cuban, with help from Jason Lutin, chief of staff of Mark Cuban Companies, and former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, assisted in getting the Virginia Parole Board to reconsider Smith's case and have Finney-Smith's father be released.

"He's here for Christmas; that’s what matters," Finney-Smith said. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever gotten. Besides the births of my kids, this is up there with the best days I've ever had."

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"Thank you to the Mavs family for this. This is past basketball," Finney-Smith said. "You can't even try to put into words what they did in this situation."

Whether he's in Dallas, Brooklyn, or elsewhere, Dorian Finney-Smith is forever a member of the Mavs family.

Published Dec 20, 2023

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.