Stephen A. Smith's daughter Samantha makes rare TV appearance before NBA finals

Stephen A. Smith's daughter makes a rare TV appearance on ESPN's pregame coverage of the Oklahoma City Thunder vs the Indiana Pacers NBA Finals Game 6 on June 19, 2025. Viewers saw the father-daughter interaction as well as predictions. The audience loved Samantha Smith's unexpected on-air cameo as she outshone her renowned, opinionated father.

Stephen A. Smith is a well-known name in the sports broadcasting industry for his ferocious opinions, thunderous delivery, and captivating demeanor on NBA Countdown and ESPN's First Take. It wasn't until 2019 that he admitted to having daughters. He revealed that his daughters, Samantha and Nyla, were already 10 and 11 years old. However, the identity of the mother is unknown.

That's what made Samantha's on-air debut so remarkable, not just because it was unexpected but also because it made Stephen A. Smith laugh and show tenderness. When co-host Elle Duncan swung the cameras to a beaming Samantha on the sidelines on ESPN's SportsCenter, the incident took place live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. She joked that it was:

"Bring your daughter to work day."

After some hesitation, Smith grudgingly instructed Samantha to "say hi." Moments later, she ended up completely taking over.

Samantha entered the frame with a confident smile on her face and made an immediate impression. She said:

“Hi guys, I’m Samantha. I’m Stephen’s daughter. I’m so happy to be here. I’ve made so many friends. This is really great.”

“You just got here five minutes ago.”

Her proud but perplexed father intervened, to which Samantha said,

"This is a really great experience. This is a really great experience and I feel really grateful to be here, you guys."

It was this moment that made the clip go viral on social media.

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Her Game 6 prediction leaves Stephen A. Smith stunned

Samantha Smith joined the NBA Countdown desk next to Malika Andrews later that night, when she was asked to forecast the crucial Game 6 matchup.

She made her predictions boldly on live TV, picking the OKC:

"My pick, I'm going OKC. I think they are going to end it tonight."

She seemed confident about her pick as she referenced MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:

"I think they're just going to end it tonight. 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."

Stephen A. Smith, who by this was stunned by her choice, who had chosen the Indiana Pacers to extend the series to the last game, questioned:

"You're going against your daddy on live television?"

To which Samantha smirked and gave a casual shrug:

"I think he knows I'm right."

His ESPN colleagues poked fun at Stephen, saying they prefer her over him and that her presence made the show much better.

Later on, he admitted that he usually loses to her, saying:

“She usually beats me on predictions.”

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No stranger to the spotlight

Stephen A. Smith's daughter, Samantha Smith, is no stranger to the spotlight as she's a budding actress and has appeared in Peacock’s The Best Man: The Final Chapters (2022) and Disney+’s Saturdays (2023). Though it was her first time appearing on ESPN, she had no problems being on TV whatsoever. She showed how at ease she is in front of live audiences and gave the impression that she may be a future media celebrity.

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