“Mark Cuban the goat again”: NBA fans celebrate as Dorian Finney-Smith reunites with his father after 30 years

Brooklyn Nets player Dorian Finney-Smith finally reunited with his father Elbert Smith on Tuesday after nearly 30 years of being apart from each other. Elbert was in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in March 1996. After the release of his father, Smith shared a long hug with him.

Brad Townsend, the Dallas Morning News' beat tweeted the news of Finney-Smith’s father's release. He also reported that the Dallas Mavericks had an immense role in Smith’s release. He was also granted parole in July with the help of the Mavericks.

NBA fans on X celebrated the heartfelt reunion of father and son. They also took the opportunity to show their love for former Mavericks’ majority owner Mark Cuban, who played a big role in Smith’s father’s eventual release.

Giving props to Cuban for his big gesture and rising above the role of a business, a fan commented, “Mark Cuban the goat again.” With 30 years being almost the half-life of a person, one fan was just happy that Smith was released, writing, “Damn. Nearly 30 years. Glad he finally got out.”

Here are some more reactions from fans on X.

Dorian Finney-Smith's father's release details

In July, Mark Cuban got help from Jason Lutin, who is the chief of staff of Mark Cuban Companies, and Jerry Kilgore, a former Virginia attorney general. They assisted in getting the Virginia Parole Board to reconsider Elbert Smith’s case and release him. According to the Dallas Morning News, Elbert Smith was released with a 3-0 vote from the board.

After his father was released from prison, Smith was on cloud nine.

“He’s here for Christmas; that’s what matters,” Finney-Smith told the Dallas Morning News. “This is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten. Besides the births of my kids, this is up there with the best days I’ve ever had. Thank you to the Mavs family for this. This is past basketball. You can’t even try to put into words what they did in this situation.”

Elbert Smith was arrested and convicted for the distribution of cocaine but in 1995 things got worse for him as he was involved in a murder case. Smith and Diefen McGann went to a Virginia Beach auto repair shop to collect a debt from Willie Anderson II.

The court record says that both Smith and McGann had guns in their possession. When Anderson took hold of the gun in McGann's hands, Smith threatened him with a knife, which resulted in Anderson letting go of the gun. Once McGann was in control, he fired the gun, and the shot was fatal to Anderson.

On March 29, 1996, a jury convicted Brooklyn Nets player's father of second-degree murder, use in the commission of a firearm and malicious wounding. Smith was sentenced to 44 years in prison.