While basketball fans are used to seeing Stephen A. Smith on their television screens, they were treated to a rare glimpse of another member of the Smith clan Thursday night.
The analyst was performing his ESPN duties alongside Elle Duncan on the floor of Gainbridge Fieldhouse when Game 6 of the NBA Finals turned into ‘Bring your daughter to work’ day.
Smith’s daughter, Samantha A. Smith, made a surprise appearance on the broadcast when Duncan called her over from the sidelines.
But Smith didn’t appear to be a fan of the idea as he remained tense throughout his daughter’s stint in front of the camera.
‘Say hi,’ he told Samantha, who gladly accepted the invitation and ran with it as she greeted viewers and then some.
‘Hi guys, I’m Samantha,’ the 17-year-old said. When her dad briefly pulled the microphone away, Samantha said, ‘I’m talking here.’
Much to his dismay, Stephen A Smith’s daughter made a shock appearance on ESPN
Samantha A Smith joined her dad on the pregame coverage of Game 6 of the NBA Finals
Smith only revealed he was a father in a 2019 interview when Samantha was already 11
‘I’m Stephen’s daughter,’ she continued. ‘I’m so happy to be here, I’ve made so many friends. This is really…’
‘You just got here five minutes ago,’ her father interjected. But Samantha, undeterred, ploughed on, adding: ‘This is a really great experience. This is a really great experience and I feel really grateful to be here, you guys.’
Samantha appears to have inherited her father’s fearlessness in front of the camera as she refused to hold her tongue when asked for her opinions.
She was invited back on the ESPN broadcast as NBA Countdown host Malika Andrews welcomed her to the panel to give her pick between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
‘I’m going OKC,’ Samantha revealed, going against her dad and his pick of the Indiana Pacers.
‘I think they’re just going to end it tonight,’ she continued as Smith looked exasperated next to her. ‘I think Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) has been killing it all season and he won MVP for a reason. So I think we’re just going to finish it out now.’
His NBA Countdown colleagues ribbed Smith, claiming that they ‘much preferred’ her pick over her dad’s and that she made it a much better show.
‘You’re going against your daddy on live television?’ a disgruntled Smith questioned, to which Samantha merely shrugged adding, ‘I think he knows I’m right.’
Samantha went against her exasperated dad, picking the Oklahoma City Thunder to win
As a budding actress, Samantha is no stranger to being in front of the camera
‘She usually beats me on predictions,’ he later begrudgingly admitted.
Smith didn’t reveal that he was a father until 2019 when he Samantha and her sister Nyla were already 11 and 10. The mother has been kept anonymous.
‘My daughters are everything to me,’ Smith said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2023. ‘I make sure that they are taken care of first. [My mom] was proud of the father I am and I’m very happy and proud of the father I am.’
Samantha is no stranger to the spotlight with Smith’s mini-me pursuing an acting career.
The budding actress has starred in Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters in 2022 and Disney+’s 2023 series Saturdays.
