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Deion Sanders is already well known as being one of the most talented dual-sport athletes in professional sports history. The Hall of Famer was both a defensive back for the 49ers, Cowboys, and Falcons as well as a star outfielder suiting up for the Braves, Yankees, Giants, and Reds throughout his nine-year MLB career.
Prior to that professional arrival, Prime played both sports as a member of the Florida State Seminoles. Now, Deion Sanders says he could’ve played basketball at the college level, too.
Earlier this week, the Colorado football coach spoke with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are in Boulder for some offseason training. He dropped a bit of a bombshell during that appearance.
Prime said he held college basketball offers, which his coaches withheld, in theory due to a better chance of success with football.
“I was 150 pounds when I graduated high school… I didn’t have any [football] offers going into my senior year. But I was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and then I got a scholarship to Florida State, and I had basketball offers that my coach never told me about… [I averaged] 24.6 points per game, and that was before 3’s.”
While he didn’t end up playing in college, the sport has always been a passion, and it’s actually where the “Primetime” moniker originated according to Biography.com.
After one particularly hot night of shooting that saw Sanders score 30 points, a friend gave him his “Prime Time” moniker that’s stuck ever since.
Sanders was all-state in football, baseball, and basketball at North Fort Myers High before focusing on being just a two-sport athlete at FSU.
That love of basketball never left, though.
In fact, while a member of the Atlanta Braves and Falcons, he nearly suited up a game for the Hawks, too.
“I was really close to playing for the Atlanta Hawks for one game,” Coach Prime said in a 2016 interview. “When I was with the Braves, I don’t recall the year, Stan Kasten was the general manager of both teams, the Braves as well as the Hawks.
“He was going to allow me to play in a game so I could play three professional sports. I convinced him that I could get 10 points.”
That never came to fruition, but his basketball talents have been passed down to his daughter.
Deion Sanders’ daughter is a member of the Colorado women’s basketball team.
Shelomi Sanders was a walk-on at Jackson State while her father was the head football coach. She made the move to Boulder this past season and is prepping to make her Colorado debut in 2023.
After a redshirt season last year, she’s ready to make an impact.
With the Tigers, Shelomi appeared in two games, scoring two points in nine minutes.
For those counting at home, that gives Deion Sanders two CU football sons and a basketball daughter. Shedeur and Shilo are already making names of themselves on the gridiron. Let’s see if Shelomi can do the same on the hardwood.