The father of Dorian Finney-Smith, Elbert Smith, served in the Navy in Virginia. It was in this state that he met his wife Desiree Finney, and their son, Dorian, was born on May 4, 1993. Then, on January 25, 1995, the life of this family changed.
That day, Elbert Smith, who was then only 23 years old but already had a conviction for selling cocaine, and Diefen McGann went to a garage in Virginia Beach, with the mission of settling a debt to Willie Anderson II.
The two men are armed and the situation degenerates. Anderson tries to grab McGann’s gun, and Smith lunges at him with a knife. Eventually, McGann retrieves his gun and shoots Anderson three times, who dies. Both men are therefore charged with murder.
His father was sentenced to 44 years in prison
Diefen McGann pleads guilty to “intentional homicide” and leaves for five years in prison. The same agreement is offered to Elbert Smith, but his court-appointed lawyer advises him to go to trial since it was not he who shot or killed Willie Anderson II. A bad calculation since, on March 29, 1996, a jury condemned him to 44 years in prison!
In addition, the State of Virginia was very firm on parole, completely abolished since January 1, 1995 (24 days before the Elbert Smith case) for serious offenders. To hope for one, the convict had to serve at least 85% of his sentence, or almost 38 years for the father of Dorian Finney-Smith. In 2020, Virginia partially reversed this law, opening a window for those convicted between 1995 and 2000. A window and not a door since parole was only offered to less than 5% of those concerned. …
That’s when the Dorian Finney-Smith fight begins. Three years ago, the player spoke with assistant coach Jamahl Mosley about his father’s situation. The one who has since become the Magic coach advises him to go talk to Mark Cuban, the owner of the franchise. The latter explains to Finney-Smith that he will do what is necessary to help him.
“In the world of basketball, players don’t usually talk about these kinds of things, but the Mavericks are different when it comes to human relations,” he explains to Dallas Morning News. “I then had to talk to five people I didn’t know, very personal things, but I had support. »
Dorian Finney-Smith spoke supported by the Mavericks
The five people the player is talking about are the ones to convince to get parole. The Mavericks player, since transferred to Brooklyn, opened up about his childhood without a father, visits to the visiting room and phone calls. From his mother too, who multiplied the jobs to feed her six children. Of his half-brother killed at the age of 15. And of him, father since the age of 16.
“People like me don’t go to the NBA. They end up like my father, in prison, or dead, like my brother. I shouldn’t be here today”he delivers to the commission on January 25, in the middle of the regular season, excused from training by his coach and accompanied by the GM of the Mavericks, Nico Harrison. “We didn’t know if we could be in the room with him, but whatever,” continues the manager. “We were there for Dorian, so he knew he was not alone, that the team had his back. »
To support Dorian Finney-Smith’s approach, Mark Cuban had written a testimony and Rick Carlisle, who coached the player for five seasons, joined the hearing virtually. Moreover, the son explained that he could provide his father with a stable environment when he was released.
This Wednesday, and after 28 years and four months behind bars, Elbert Smith learned that he could soon be released. Dorian Finney-Smith broke down in tears at the time of the announcement. “My children will be able to see their grandfather”, did he declare. Above all, the father will be able, next October, to finally see his son play in the NBA. Even if it will be in Brooklyn since he was transferred ten days after the hearing at the end of January. But the main thing is elsewhere. “I’m grateful to the Mavericks for this whole story, for what they’ve done behind the scenes. I will always have love for Dallas and for this franchise. »
| Dorian Finney-Smith | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2016-17 | DAL | 81 | 20 | 37.2 | 29.3 | 75.4 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 4.3 |
| 2017-18 | DAL | 21 | 21 | 38.0 | 29.9 | 73.3 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 5.9 |
| 2018-19 | DAL | 81 | 25 | 43.2 | 31.1 | 70.9 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 7.5 |
| 2019-20 | DAL | 71 | 30 | 46.6 | 37.6 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 9.6 |
| 2020-21 | DAL | 60 | 32 | 47.2 | 39.4 | 75.6 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 9.8 |
| 2021-22 | DAL | 80 | 33 | 47.1 | 39.5 | 67.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 11.0 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 66 | 30 | 39.1 | 33.7 | 76.3 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 8.4 |
| 2022-23 * | DAL | 40 | 32 | 41.6 | 35.5 | 75.0 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 9.1 |
| 2022-23 * | BRK | 26 | 28 | 35.1 | 30.6 | 78.9 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 7.2 |
| Total | 460 | 28 | 43.7 | 35.7 | 72.3 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 8.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
