The Indiana Pacers took down the OKC Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday to force a winner-take-all Game 7 in OKC on Monday. However, during ESPN’s broadcast of the game, a guest crashed the pregame show as Stephen A. Smith’s daughter, Samantha, came to join the crew to analyze the NBA Finals.
Samantha showed up on camera during Stephen A.'s segment on SportsCenter before the game and returned when he was sitting on the ESPN panel, which included Malika Andrews, Bob Myers and Kendrick Perkins. Samantha predicted that the Thunder would win Game 6, only for them to get blown out in Indiana.

With the unexpected appearance of his daughter on national television, Stephen A. got clowned on social media, with some fans comparing it with other prominent father-child duos in sports, like the LA Lakers’ LeBron James and Bronny James. One tweeted:
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"Mf went on a media tour about Bron and nepotism ... but now it's ok lmao"
Meanwhile, other NBA fans were left "shocked" after learning that Stephen A. had a child.
Samantha is one of Stephen A.’s two daughters, with the other one being Nyla. While keeping his personal life private throughout the years, Stephen A. is known to be a single father.
Known for his sports takes, Stephen A. has been in the NBA Finals broadcast for all games of the series. He's expected to be with the ESPN broadcast panel once more in Game 7 at OKC, where a new NBA champion will be crowned.
Stephen A. expresses love for his daughters
Stephen A. Smith has been low-key about his daughters but talks about them with pride. Speaking to The Breakfast Club in 2023, Stephen A. expressed his love for his daughters and is proud of being a girl dad.
"My daughters are everything to me. ... 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," he said.
Samantha is 17, while Nyla is 16. According to People, the veteran sports analyst first revealed that he's a father in 2019.
It remained to be seen if Samantha would again visit his father in his job for Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the league's first since 2016. The final game of the title series is slated for Sunday.
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