What did Dorian Finney-Smith's father do? Elbert Smith's case sending him to 28 years in prison explored

Former Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith recently reunited with his father, Elbert Smith, who has been in prison for 28 years. With the help of the Mavs, Finney-Smith, who now plays for the Brooklyn Nets, got a chance to meet up with his father for the first time in three decades.

According to reports, Elbert Smith's case dates to when he was a young 23-year-old man. He was with Diefen McGann when the two went to a Virginia Beach auto repair shop. The pair was tasked with collecting debt from Willie Anderson II, who was 31 years old at the time.

Based on testimonies and court records, each had a handgun. A fight ensued, and Anderson reached for McGann’s firearm. According to Smith's account, he rushed towards Anderson with a knife, and eventually let go of the gun.

Anderson died after McGann fired three shots at him.

The two were charged with first-degree murder. McGann accepted a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter, as well as a five-year prison sentence on April 10, 1996. The same deal was offered to Finney-Smith's father, but his attorney took a different route.

He told Elbert Smith to turn it down and go to trial. The attorney's reasoning behind it was that McGann was the one who caused Anderson's death.

A year later, on March 29, 1996, Elbert Smith was convicted of second-degree murder, malicious wounding and use in commission of a firearm. He was given a 44-year prison sentence.

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Who helped Dorian Finney-Smith with his father's case?

According to reports, Dorian Finney-Smith shared the story of his father's case three years ago with Mark Cuban Companies chief of staff Jason Lutin. Former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore then took up Elbert Smith's case. Kilgore offered to represent Smith pro bono after meeting him at a supermax prison in Virginia’s Wallens Ridge.

The hearing started on Jan. 25 this year. Mavs general manager Nico Harrison participated in the hearing with Smith. Cuban's testimony of the NBA player's character was used during the hearing. Rick Carlisle, who coached the forward in Dallas, also joined the hearing virtually.

Finney-Smith thanked the Mavs organization for the help he and his family received.

"He's here for Christmas; that’s what matters," Dorian Finney-Smith said. "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," he added. "This is past basketball. You can't even try to put into words what they did in this situation."

Finney-Smith played for the Mavs for seven seasons.