In an emotional reunion, Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith has reconnected with his father, Elbert Smith, after nearly three decades of separation. The two were estranged for most of Dorian’s childhood and teenage years due to Elbert being incarcerated.
Finney-Smith’s father had been incarcerated for most of his life, and the two were only able to maintain occasional contact through letters. But in recent years, Elbert has made significant progress in his recovery, and the two have begun to rebuild their relationship.
When Elbert exited the Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia on Tuesday, father and son embraced each other for the first time since Dorian was a toddler.
“He’s here for Christmas; that’s what matters,” Finney-Smith told the Dallas Morning News. “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.”
A day off was granted to him by the Nets so that he could meet his father, but it was the Dallas Mavericks, his former team, who deserve immense praise for making this possible.
In July of this year, it was revealed that the Mavericks had played a crucial role in securing Finney-Smith’s father’s release from prison. Mark Cuban, GM Nico Harrison, and other Mavericks executives had provided written statements during Smith’s hearing, attesting to Finney-Smith’s character. Harrison and Jason Lutin, Chief of Staff at Mark Cuban Companies, were physically present during the hearing with Finney-Smith, while his former head coach Rick Carlisle attended virtually.
“Thank you to the Mavs family for this. This is past basketball,” Finney-Smiht said. “You can’t even try to put into words what they did in this situation.”
