Deion Sanders lets daughter Shelomi know she’s not his favorite child despite rumors of a strained relationship

Deion Sanders may have put an end to hearsay speculation that he and his youngest daughter, Shelomi Sanders, are not on speaking terms following her departure from the University of Colorado Boulder.

The sophomore transferred from the school to Alabama A&M in April after spending a season on the Buffaloes’ women’s basketball team. Her father remains at Boulder as head football coach, where he continues to guide the athletic careers of sons Shedeur and Shilo Sanders.

Although Shelomi isn’t among the crowd on the Colorado campus, she still fulfills her duties as the baby of the family, vying to snag the top spot in Deion’s ever-changing list of favorite kids. He shares his three children with his second wife, Pilar Sanders.

For years, the former Atlanta Falcons star has been sharing the list, proving that all five of his children — including his eldest children Deion Sanders Jr. and Deiondra Sanders, both of whom he shares with ex-wife Carolyn Chambers — can become his favorites any day.

However, his young daughter declared herself the ultimate Sanders on September 23rd. To the surprise of Coach Prime’s Instagram followers, this also marked her return to his social media.

He posted a carousel of pictures, two of which showed the shirt Shelomi wore, classifying herself as her father’s top offspring, and others of her from the Southwestern Athletic Conference media day in her maroon and white school uniform.

“@shelomisanders thinks she is #1 in my kids’ rankings. I love you baby but you are NOT number 1 right now your sister @deiondrasanders because she just had her little baby but I love the t-shirt. I’m proud of you and excited that you get the chance to do something this season.”

Deion became a grandfather for the first time on his 57th birthday, August 9, when Deiondra gave birth to her first child, a son, with her boyfriend, singer Jacquees.

Although several comments noted that Shelomi’s sense of humor was surpassed by a newborn, other eagle-eyed fans commented that their alleged father-daughter tiff was finally over.

“I’m glad to see you publicly supporting each other again,” one person wrote. A second person said, “I’m so happy to see @shelomisanders back on the UNC feed!” When the basketball player entered the transfer portal against Deion’s wishes, he publicly criticized her decision.

“You don’t enter the portal – you get a team. You put together a team, so to speak, before you enter the portal. You don’t do that – that’s what I would advise a child to do… it was really advised to him,” he told the media. He further emphasized that he is a “real father” who tells his children where to go, and not the other way around.

He continued in part: “I am the head of the family. So I dictated where my children went. They don’t dictate where I go. I’m happy, I’m cool, I’m doing well in Boulder.”

His ex, Pilar, was upset at the lack of support shown to her daughter and vented her frustration in a video posted on YouTube.

She called him out for his “disturbing” comments, accused him of sabotaging Shelomi’s college-bound recruiting opportunities, and criticized him for having favorite children who deserve his support by letting him rule their lives. Deion never addressed her comments publicly.

But at least one of his followers shared a similar opinion to Pilar about his ranking system. “Well Prime… I don’t feel that caption under Shelomi’s picture… even if it’s a joke… DON’T feel it bro!” the comment read. When his ex shared a collage of her daughter from SWAC Media Day on September 23, people couldn’t help but notice that Shelomi seemed to be beaming with happiness.

No one should be shocked by Deion Sanders. How he handled his marriage to Pilar revealed his true character. But let me keep my opinion to myself because people here love to kiss his ass 🤷🏿‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/UCPicQiVNf

— Chris (@chrisloves93) December 7, 2022

One user commented: “Mom has instincts. That was the best decision for her. She looks sooooo happy now.”

While a second person quipped: “The feeling you get when you say ‘FROM daddy, I’m not your little girl anymore’… Deion you see that SMILE.” Mother is always understanding from the start.”

Deion’s otherwise well-received post comes weeks after he appeared to defend his reputation as a present father. According to the football legend, he is one of the few black male public figures to fill this void in the media.