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Stephen A. Smith’s daughter Samantha makes a TV appearance at NBA Finals

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 9:48 AM ET

Stephen A. Smith rarely looks rattled during a television appearance, but we may have discovered the longtime ESPN analyst’s on-air kryptonite.

Smith reluctantly gave his daughter Samantha some air time before tip-off of Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. Elle Duncan declared during the ABC broadcast that it was “bring your daughter to work day,” at which point Smith called Samantha over.

Smith’s daughter then seemed to deliberately get under her dad’s skin with her over-the-top expressions of gratitude.

“I’m Stephen’s daughter. I’m so happy to be here,” Samantha said. “I’ve made so many friends. This a really great experience and I feel really grateful to be here, you guys.”

Stephen A Smith's daughter Samantha embarrasses him on live TV, put her on the halftime show pic.twitter.com/fzN6sTawG2
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) June 19, 2025

Samantha kept a straight face, but Stephen A. did a lot of eye rolling and at one point told his daughter, “You just got here five minutes ago.”

That was about as genuine of an interaction as you will see from a father and his teenage daughter. Samantha is an actress who has appeared is some TV shows, which explains why she was so charismatic on camera.

Smith has typically kept the details of his private life to himself, but a lot of people liked seeing that human side of him.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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