The inspirational reunion of Brooklyn Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith with his father
Dorian Finney-Smith was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on May 4, 1993. Like many young kids, he had aspirations of making it to the NBA. So, who was his inspiration? He would have been five years old when Michael Jordan won his last championship with the Bulls. He was seven when Kobe Bryant won his first, and 10 when LeBron James was drafted.
Each player may have shaped his love for basketball in some way. But none were his inspiration. That title has long since been held by his mother, Desiree Finley. Finley raised six children as a single mother and cleaned houses to afford basketball, travel, and fees. Four of her children went on to receive athletic scholarships. Ultimately, her son Dorian, also affectionately known as Doe-Doe, would start his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks.
Single mothers are not uncommon, but they always raise the question—where is the father? For Finney-Smith, his father's absence is an all-too-familiar tragic tail.
In 1995, his father, Elbert Smith Jr., and his associate, Diefen McGann, were attempting to collect a debt from a man named Willie Anderson II. Both Smith and McGann had handguns at the time. A scuffle ensued, and Anderson attempted to take McGann's gun. Smith said he lunged toward Anderson with a knife, causing Anderson to let go of McGann's gun. Sadly, cooler heads did not prevail, and McGann fired three shots at Anderson, killing him.
Both Smith and McGann were charged with first-degree murder. With the advice of his attorney, McGann pleaded down to voluntary manslaughter and served five years in prison. Smith's attorney had a different plan and urged him to take his case to trial since he was not the one who fired the gun. That plan backfired. Smith was found guilty of second-degree murder and malicious wounding and sentenced to 44 years in prison. His son was just two years old at the time.
15 years later, in 2010, Finney-Smith committed to Virgin Tech. After playing in all 33 games his freshman year and making 30 starts, he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. NCAA regulations forced him to sit out the 2012-2013 season after he transferred to Florida. His sophomore season, he was named the SEC Sixth Man of the Year, becoming just the second Gator to win the award after Chris Richard in 2007.
As a junior, Finney-Smith was named second-team All-SEC by coaches. As a senior, he was named second-team All-SEC by the coaches and third-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. By the time Finney-Smith was hopeful to hear his name called in the 2016 NBA draft, his father had spent 21 years in prison.
But Smith pressed on. In July of 2016, he joined the Dallas Mavericks and played in the Summer League. Eventually, earning a starting spot with the Mavericks, and in 2019, he signed a three-year extension worth $12 million. He signed another four-year, $52 million veteran extension in 2022. While Smith is living out his dream of playing in the NBA, the relationship he forged with Mark Cuban and the Mavericks organization would do much more than shape his basketball career.
On February 6, 2023, Finney-Smith was traded, along with Spencer Dinwiddie, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick, and second-round picks in 2027 and 2029, to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris.
While many of us were talking about the failed Brooklyn experiment, others were focused on reuniting a father with his son. According to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, Mavericks governor Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison, and leaders within the Mavericks organization provided written statements vouching for the character of the player they have come to know and love in an effort to help his father during his parole hearing.
Finney-Smith attended the hearing alongside Harrison and Jason Lutin, the chief of staff for Mark Cuban Companies, while his former head coach, Rick Carlisle, participated virtually. As a result, Elbert Smith Jr. was granted conditional freedom by the Virginia Parole Board in 2023 after serving over 28 years in prison.
Amith resides with Finney-Smith's mother, Desiree, and cousin Frank Smith, a retired police officer, in a residence owned by Finney-Smith. Additionally, Smith is involved with Finney-Smith's Finney Family First Foundation, whose mission is to "motivate youth while inspiring families and all citizens to become productive members of society by providing service to the community.”
The money Finney-Smith has accumulated thus far from his NBA career has made it possible for him to provide a fresh start for his father. But the chance to have a one-on-one relationship with his father and share life's moments is priceless.