An often overlooked member of the Sanders clan is a trailblazer in her own right. For starters, Deion Sanders’ youngest daughter Shelomi took to the hardwood, averse from her dad’s lineage on the gridiron. Then, she made the brave choice of leaving him behind in Boulder to escape his shadow, both literally and figuratively. Wound up all the way in the south at Alabama A&M. This divergence from her siblings and himself didn’t go down well with Deion, and he made it be known.
After Shelomi entered the transfer portal to move away from the Colorado Buffaloes basketball program, Prime wasn’t his usual self. See, for all his eccentricity, Deion Sanders is an orthodox father. He prides himself on keeping his children close. Naturally, he wasn’t thrilled in the least bit. He bluntly labeled Shelomi’s decision “stupid”. Fast forward a few months, and he’s seemingly warming up to the idea after all.
Deion Sanders was present at Shelomi’s latest game. This was the first time he went to his daughter’s game since her move away. As if that wasn’t special enough, Shelomi was unbeknownst to his arrival. “Surprised my Babygirl @shelomisanders yesterday at Alabama A&M! It was epic and they won. The HBCU atmosphere was all that. Dr. Bryant thank u helping me make yesterday happen for my baby! Love all y’all that showed me love. God bless. #CoachPrime” said Deion on IG. Him thanking Alabama A&M athletic director Dr. Paul A. Bryant goes to show how satisfied he is with the faith that the program has reciprocated to Shelomi, as she traverses life away from her family.
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Deion has inadvertently cast a shadow over Shelomi along every stop of her journey. She was with him at Jackson State, then followed him along with her siblings to Colorado. While Shedeur, Shilo and Deion went about rebuilding the football program, her career remained stagnant. Shelomi played in a measly 5 games for the Buffaloes all through the 2023 season. She garnered a grand total of 11 minutes in those. Shelomi believed a change of scenery beckoned, and rightfully so. Upon her exit, Shelomi didn’t mince her words whatsoever in describing her time at Colorado.
“I don’t want to say anything too bad. It just wasn’t good energy. It wasn’t good vibes.” she remarked. “There wasn’t enough being poured into me as a player and young lady. If I didn’t leave when I did, I promise you I would’ve quit” Deion didn’t quite see eye to eye at the time. But seeing her thrive, his stance is evidently softening. The move doesn’t project as “stupid” anymore.
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The results from the outset went some way to make Deion Sanders cave in
Shelomi Sanders’ stint in Alabama has been a relative success compared to the one in Colorado. She’s seeing the court much more, and showing up on the box-score with her opportunities. A lot of the concern Deion had about Shelomi going back to an HBCU, far away from his guidance, was thwarted right away.
In the season-opener itself, Shelomi came off the bench to drop a career-high 14 points. With 2 steals and a block to supplement it. All of this in merely 10 minutes. Enough time to outdo her entire stint at CU.
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Time heals all wounds. That age-old cliche seems to be ringing true in this case. As polarizing as Deion Sanders is, his love for his children is irrefutable. Nothing can cut through their intrinsic bond. Seeing Shelomi’s career trend skywards in her new situation, and being able to finally witness it first hand, will mean everything to him. Whether her decision proves correct in the long run or not, things are tracking well.
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