Dorian Finney-Smith, who had not seen his father since he was a toddler, finally got the emotional reunion he had been longing for. After an agonizing wait of 28 years, 9 months, and 10 days, he finally embraced Elbert Smith, who had been wrongfully convicted of a second-degree murder case in 1996. However, on Tuesday morning, all their angst was washed down as the father-son duo held each other in a “long, long hug.” This reunion could only come to fruition due to the efforts of Mark Cuban and his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.

After spending seven seasons of his career with the Mavericks, Smith was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas. Even though his tenure with the team ended in early February, they have silently worked together to make this long-awaited reunion a reality. Following his father’s release, Smith expressed his gratitude to his former team.

Dorian Finney-Smith expresses his gratitude to his former team

The Virginia Parole Board released Dorian Finney-Smith’s father, Elbert Smith Jr., on parole after nearly 29 years in prison. They granted him parole after the board voted 3-0 in July. However, it took nearly 5 months for Elbert to complete Virginia’s pre-release program. But all of this was immaterial since this would be the first time in years that Smith would have his father home during Christmas.

Speaking to Dallas Morning News, the 30-year-old said, “He’s here for Christmas; that’s what matters. 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.”

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And the Mavs had a huge role to play in making this happen. It was Mark Cuban, the Mavs general manager, Nico Harrison, and others who vouched for Dorian Finney-Smith’s character in front of the jury. In addition, Cuban also helped him get one of the best lawyers in the country. It was also the efforts of Mark Cuban Companies’ chief of staff Jason Lutin and former Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore that convinced the Virginia Parole Board to consider Elbert Smith’s case. Expressing his gratitude to the Mavs, Finney-Smith added, “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.”

Why was Elbert Smith Jr. sentenced to 44 years in prison?

In 1995, Smith, along with Diefen McGann, went to a Virginia Beach auto repair shop to collect debt from Willie Anderson II. However, a scuffle ensued between the three, which ended with McGann firing three shots at Anderson. Following this, Anderson collapsed into a ditch and died. In April of 1996, McGann accepted a plea deal and was given a five-year prison sentence. However, Smith refused the deal, which resulted in the jury convicting Smith of “second-degree murder, malicious wounding and use in commission of a firearm”. He was then sentenced to serve 44 years in prison.

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Before granting Elbert parole, the board had only approved 23 out of the 1,255 cases it had reviewed in 2023. Therefore, the Mavs played a crucial role in supporting Elbert to overcome these daunting odds and finally reunite with his family again.

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