Stephen A. Smith was on daddy duty for Game 6 of the NBA Finals, bringing his daughter to work with him.
On Thursday (June 19), the ESPN host's daughter Samantha made a surprise appearance on NBA Countdown. Just before tip-off, she was asked to make her prediction on who would take home the championship between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
"What is your pick, Samantha?" Smith’s co-host asked, and he didn't look exactly thrilled.
"I’m going OKC," she answered. "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."
"You’re going against your daddy on national television," Smith said to her. "I think he knows I’m right, guys," Samantha responded. Smith previously predicted that the Pacers would win Game 6, and he was right.
In another clip from the night, Samantha joined her dad on the court at the invitation of his SportsCenter co-host, Elle Duncan. "Hello, say hi," Smith said to his daughter, again, seemingly exasperated.
"Hi guys, I’m Samantha," she said. "I’m Stephen’s daughter. I’m so happy to be here, I’ve made so many friends."
"You just got here five minutes ago," Smith replied. Samantha ignored him as she said, "This is a really great experience and I feel really grateful to be here."
Duncan then praised Samantha’s analysis of OKC winning the finals, and Smith seemed over it.
A clip of Samantha parodying her father also resurfaced, which she originally posted last year in celebration of Father’s Day. In the video, she teases her dad for his love of the New York Knicks by pretending that the team’s losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"This is blasphemy," she yells. "This is a monstrosity, this is embarrassing. I grew up in the Bronx," she adds, "What are we doing here, Knicks? I don’t even know what to say."
It’s unclear what Samantha’s exact age is, though it appears she’s in her teens. Smith didn’t reveal he was a father until 2019, when he shared he has two daughters, one who was 10 years old and the other 11 years old at the time. His other daughter’s name is Nyla.