The “Sanders” name on the back of your jersey can often weigh heavy. While Shedeur has seemingly escaped issues, the same cannot be said for Shilo’s escapades. Away from the gridiron and into the hardwood, Deion’s youngest daughter, Shelomi Sanders, has seen her fair share of peaks and troughs. After a career-altering decision in the offseason, her trajectory is trending skywards.

After Shelomi entered the transfer portal to move away from the Colorado Buffaloes basketball program, Prime wasn’t his usual self. A stand-up father who prides himself on keeping his children close, Deion wasn’t thrilled in the least bit. He bluntly labeled his daughter’s decision “stupid”. Fast forward a few months, and he’s seemingly warming up to the idea after all.

Shelomi’s tenure at her new school, Alabama A&M, has been a relative success compared to Colorado. She’s seeing the court much more and filling the box-score with her opportunities. Shelomi posted a clip on Instagram of her hitting a beautiful tear-drop during her team’s 57-52 win over Kansas City. Father Deion was all up in the comments, saying, “Love u, baby! I BELIEVE!!!!”. This reassurance-inducing comment was pinned by the player.

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 Boulder. When she seemingly decided to carve her own path and enter the portal, it was to the dismay of her father. Going back to an HBCU all the way south in Alabama, away from the family. A lot of this prejudice was thwarted in Shelomi’s very first game.

In the season-opener, Shelomi came off the bench to drop a career-high 14 points. This was supplemented by 2 steals and a block. All of this in merely 10 minutes. Enough time to outdo her entire stint in Boulder.

Shelomi Sanders’ time with her family in Colorado was a poisoned chalice

Shelomi left Colorado under a dark cloud. While her brothers and Dad trudged along in rebuilding the football program, her career remained stagnant. Shelomi played in a measly 5 games for the Buffaloes all season. She garnered a grand total of 11 minutes in those. Shelomi believed a change of scenery beckoned.

“I don’t want to say anything too bad. It just wasn’t good energy. It wasn’t good vibes. 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”, Shelomi said upon her exit. Deion didn’t quite see eye to eye at the time, but his stance is evidently softening.

They say time heals all sorts of wounds. That seems to be the case. As polarizing as Deion Sanders is, his love for his children is irrefutable. Seeing Shelomi thrive in her new situation was bound to make him “BELIEVE”. It has not all been plain sailing in Alabama. But whether her decision proves correct in the long run or not, things are tracking well. As with any story involving the Sanders, expect more twists.