Stephen A. Smith, 57, shared an unexpected on-screen moment with his daughter, Samantha Smith, ahead of Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
The sports analyst and the teen appeared together during ESPN’s pregame broadcast for the Indiana Pacers versus Oklahoma City Thunder game on June 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Smith and “Sportscenter” co-host Elle Duncan jokingly mentioned it was “bring your daughter to work day” before introducing Samantha, 17, to the television audience.
“Hi, guys. I’m Samantha … I’m talking here,” the emerging actress said to the camera as Stephen pulled the microphone he was holding away from her mouth.
She also stated, “I’m Stephen’s daughter. I’m so happy to be here. I’ve made so many friends.” Her dad quickly responded, “You just got here five minutes ago.”
The banter continued with Stephen chastising Samantha for cutting off Duncan as she attempted to wrap the segment. “Did you just interrupt her while she was talking?” he asked.
“I’m so sorry,” Samantha kindly said to Duncan. She then waved to the camera and hugged her dad before walking away.
Stephen was left looking bashful and embarrassed as his co-worker lightly teased him. Duncan quipped, “Look at that face. Just stop. You love it. You love it! Putty in hands.”
Samantha also showed up during an “NBA Countdown” segment on ESPN to let the world know she disagreed with her pop and picked the Thunder to defeat the Pacers. Ultimately, Indiana won the game 108-91.
“Soooo, I guess my dad was right this time. See you guys [for] Game 7?” Samantha stated in an Instagram caption, teasing a return to the network on June 22.
She also admitted, “I’m a 76ers fan, so I haven’t been following the playoffs. But making predictions is a lot of fun.”
Sports fans also shared their reactions to Stephen’s unplanned interaction with his older daughter, leaving a lasting impression on many social media users.
“We need a segment where she debates her pops on sports takes,” one person on Instagram suggested.
Some people were shocked to learn Stephen was a dad. One commentator professed, “I didn’t know he had a kid” while another said, “That’s his lil twin. She definitely spoiled.”
In reaction to the exchange between Samantha and Stephen, one fan wrote, “He’s acting tough, but [you] know his daughter has him wrapped around her finger.”
However, a more critical observer wondered, “So if she gets a job in media it’s nepotism, right?”
According to an IMDb page, Samantha already has experience in the entertainment business. Her previous acting work includes being cast for Disney Channel’s “Saturdays” television series.
Samantha also appeared in the Peacock miniseries “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” playing the daughter of the characters Candace “Candy” and Julian Murch, portrayed by Regina Hall (“Girls Trip”) and Harold Perrineau (“The Matrix Reloaded”).
Stephen accompanied his daughter to “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” premiere at the Hollywood Athletic Club in December 2022, where the father-daughter duo posed side by side in photos on the red carpet. Samantha also appeared in the original Tubi movie, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” alongside “Love & Hip Hop” alumna and actress Apryl Jones.
Stephen has a second daughter named Nyla Smith (born around 2009). Nyla was photographed sitting courtside with her famous father at the 2023 WNBA Finals games in Brooklyn.
The “First Take” commentator revealed that he has two daughters with two different women in his 2023 memoir “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes,” which he spoke about on “The Breakfast Club” in January 2023. The currently single bachelor said having kids by different women is “the one thing my mother was ashamed of.”
“So because of that, my mother was like, ‘OK, now that you screwed this up,’ she said, ‘There’s only one way you can make up for it: you have to be the best father that you can possibly be.'”
Smith’s mother passed before his 50th birthday, and he said he promised that he would never be like his father.
“My daughters are everything to me,” the now-57-year-old shared. “I’m not comfortable unless they’re comfortable. I don’t eat unless they eat. I don’t go on vacation unless they go on vacation.”
Samantha has uploaded several photos with her mother on Instagram, but she did not tag the woman in the posts. A photo carousel from March 2025 featured pictures taken during their vacation in St. Lucia.
Stephen discussed fatherhood during an October 2023 appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” acknowledging that both Samantha and Nyla have expressed frustration about him being too busy with his job as a sportscaster.
“They are not happy with me sometimes, because even when I’m with them, I’m a bit distracted because there’s some sports event going on,” Stephen stated. He resumed, “I treat them like the queens that they are. I do the best that I can.”
