Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith Opens Up On Dad's Release After 29 Years In Prison

Brooklyn Nets hooper Dorian Finney-Smith is opening up about his father's return home after a lengthy, near three-decade prison bid ... telling TMZ Sports pops is making up for lost time by spending time with his family!

Elbert Smith was reunited with his son in December after he was paroled ... following a mid-90s second-degree murder conviction. 52-year-old Smith was able to see his NBA player son ball as a pro for the very first time ... when he attended a home game in BK in April.

"It was exciting, man! I wish I probably would've played better that game, but we got the win, and he was just happy to be there," the 30-year-old forward joked at LAX.

FYI, Dorian only scored 2 points in front of dad, despite averaging nearly 9 points and 5 rebounds a game this season.

We also asked Dorian what his dad, who was sentenced to 44 years, has been doing now that he's out.

"He's been with his grandkids. Trying to catch up on time with them," DFS told us.

Of course, when you've been locked up since 1995, being free comes with some challenges ... technology has advanced a ton since Elbert went in. We asked Dorian how his father is adjusting.

"That's where his grandkids come at. That's what they've been doing, teaching him about the iPhone, FaceTime, he don't want no social media."

Pops does, however, love YouTube, according to Dorian ... and he's been using the site (and they're endless tutorials) to figure out what he doesn't know.

Although Elbert only got out to one game this year, Dorian says we can expect to see him a bunch more in the future.