Stephen A. Smith's daughter makes surprise appearance and instantly goes viral

Jael Rucker

Stephen A. Smith's daughter makes surprise appearance and instantly goes viral image

It's not often we get to see Stephen A. Smith in dad mode.

In fact, according to some social media users, they didn't even know Stephen A. Smith had children to begin with, which makes this surprise moment all the more heartwarming. Just prior to Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Smith's daughter, Samantha, popped in on his pregame coverage of the NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, prompting an eyeroll from the First Take host as she playfully teased him.

Samantha, who is just as much of a natural on television as her father, interrupted the coverage to say, "Hi guys, I’m Samantha. I’m so happy to be here, I’ve made so many friends. This is really a great experience. This is a really great experience, and I feel really grateful to be here, you guys."

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"You just got here five minutes ago," Smith protested, eventually smiling and laughing at his daughter's antics. Meanwhile, Smith's co-host, Elle Duncan, called the display "Bring your daughter to work day."

Indeed, it was definitely bring your daughter to work day at Game 6 of the NBA Finals, which is headed towards a pivotal Game 7 that will see one team walking out with the Larry O' Brien trophy.

Smith will be there as well, doing his thing as usual. And who knows, maybe we'll get another appearance from Samantha again.

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Jael Rucker

Jael Rucker has worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.