Deion Sanders' 5 Kids: All About His Sons and Daughters

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty

It seems like there’s littleDeion Sanderscan’tdo.

A legendary Hall of Fame football star and former Major League Baseball player, Sanders has also dabbled in rap, appeared on his own reality television show and worked as a long-running sports analyst for the NFL Network. His latest act, however, is launching a successful football coaching career,first at HBCU Jackson State Universityand, as of December 2022,at Colorado University.

In addition to his packed professional life, Sanders is a father of five. The iconic athlete had two children with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers: a daughter, Deiondra, 32, and a son, Deion Jr., 31. He also had three children with his second wife, Pilar Biggers-Sanders: sons Shilo, 25, and Shedeur, 23, and daughter Shelomi, 21.

As a father, Sanders has been able to combine his love for his children with his love for sports. Both of his daughters were talented athletes in basketball and his three sons played football, with Sanders even coaching Shilo and Shedeur at Jackson State — and now Colorado University.

“Whenever we step on the grass, practice, game, it doesn’t even matter, he’s a whole different man and I’m a whole different person, too,” Shedeur told PEOPLEabout balancing the father-son and player-coach relationship with Sanders. “So after the game whenever we walk off the field, outside of white lines, then it’s dad and that. But when we get on the field it’s straight coach.”

In September 2023, Sanders defended the fact that he ranks his children — and sometimes shares those rankings publicly onInstagram.

“I’m the only one that’s honest aboutranking my kids. You guys act like you love all of them the same and you don’t,” he said during a post-game press conference.

Sanders became a “first-time grandfather” in August 2024 when Deiondra gave birth to her son, Que.

So, who are Deion Sanders' five kids? Keep reading to get to know Deiondra, Deion Jr., Shilo, Shedeur and Shelomi Sanders.

Deiondra Sanders, 32

Paras Griffin/Getty

Sanders' eldest child, daughter Deiondra Sanders, was born on April 17, 1992, to the pro athlete and his first wife, Carolyn Chambers. At the time, Sanders was playing two professional sports — making it to the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves while simultaneously playing football with the Atlanta Falcons. On Oct. 11, 1992, when Deiondra was just 6 months old, Sanders even attempted to play in both an MLB game and an NFL game on the same day, perESPN.

Growing up as the daughter of a professional athlete was “bittersweet,” Deiondra revealed in an interview onThe Reflections Show. “The bitter part is because I was always judged a lot at school,” she shared. “I didn’t have, like, as many friends. I was always traveling with my parents.”

Deiondra continued, “But it was great because, I mean, I probably grew up how every kid would want to, so that was the great part, the sweet part. It was traveling all the time, meeting celebrities, we had chefs.”

While Sanders was a professional athlete for most of Deiondra’s childhood, her young adult years were spent delving into the world of reality television. Beginning in 2008, Deiondramade appearances with her familyon the Oxygen network reality showDeion and Pilar: Prime Time Love. Later, from 2014 to 2015, she starred on the OWN showDeion’s Family Playbookwith her four siblings, her famous father and his ex-fiancée,Tracey Edmonds. Deiondra also appeared onParadise Hotelin 2019.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she’s been the director of communications for Sc3 Sports Management since June 2019.

“I do like that my dad’s legacy gets me in the door,” she admitted onThe Reflections Show.“But I always say, I, myself and my hard work is what keeps me there … people are starting to come up to me and know me for, that I work with athletes.”

On Aug. 9, 2024, Deiondra and herfiancé, R&B musician Jacquees, welcomed their first child together:son Que.

“Being a first-time grandfather is wonderful," Deion told PEOPLE.

Deion Sanders Jr., 31

Deion Sanders Jr. Twitter

Sanders and Chambers welcomed their second child, a son named Deion Jr., on Dec. 1, 1993. Deion quickly followed his father’s footsteps into football, playing wide receiver at Marcus High School in Dallas, Texas, and Atlanta Sports Academy in Georgia. He eventuallyplayed college football at Southern Methodist Universityin Texas for three seasons.

“It’s hard for me to understand how the only kid that was an all-conference kid on the team as a returner doesn’t start off returning,” Sanders said. “I don’t know how that works.”

After hanging up his helmet, Deion Jr. moved on from football to fashion, launching his streetwear clothing brand Well Off in 2016. “I stopped playing football my junior year in college. I didn’t go to ‘the league,’ " Deion Jr. wrote on thebrand’s website. “I had to find another way to ‘ball’ without sports….. I had to find another way to be creative and express myself. I had to find something else that I loved doing and that I could put my time into”.

Deion Jr. also inherited his father’s musical talents: The oldest Sanders son first released a rap track called “Swaggin” in 2011. Most recently, in 2022, he released the songs “Money Old” and “Kandy.”

Shilo Sanders, 25

Shilo Sanders Instagram

Sanders' second son (and first child with second wife Biggers-Sanders), Shilo Sanders, was born on Feb. 9, 2000. Sanders' middle child is another talented football star — and had the opportunity to play at his father’s alma mater, Florida State.

In 2019, Shilo received a football scholarship offer from Florida State, where Sanders was an All-American player in the 1980s before launching his NFL career. “If I choose to take that route, and follow in my dad’s footsteps, then that’s excellent,“Shilo told ESPNat the time. “But I’m definitely interested in doing my own thing, too, so both could be gratifying. No matter where I go, I’m going to have the same target on my back, so it’s just finding what’s best for me.”

Shilo ended up forging his own path,playing at the University of South Carolinafor two years. But after Sanders became the head coach at Jackson State University in 2020, Shilo took the chance to play for his legendary father and transferred to the historically Black college in December 2020.

“Pops said he needed some dawgs! So I’m joining my brother to help change the game at JSU and level the HBCU playing field #BIG21 #IBelieveJSU21"Shilo tweetedat the time.

But playing for his Hall-of-Famer father has its ups and downs. The highs include Jackson State’s first-ever undefeated football season in 2022. But the low is a complicated dynamic between father and son. “When I’m on the field, I’m not your dad, I’m your coach,” Sanders said to Shiloin a video posted to Deion Jr.’s YouTube channel. “This is the problem, he can’t decipher dad and coach.”

In December 2022, Sanders took a head coaching job at the University of Colorado Boulder. Shilo, who has two years of eligibility remaining, decided to follow his dad after earning a degree from Jackson State.

At the first game of the season in September 2023, Sanders and Shiloshared a sweet hugand a prayer on the sidelines before kickoff. They went on to beat Texas Christian University 45-42.

Football aside, the father-and-son duo know how to have fun together off the field. Shilo oftenposts videos to YouTubeof himself impersonating Sanders or playing practical jokes on his dad.

“I just like to have fun,” Shilotold the media blog Boardroomin August 2022. “I keep building my brand in my mind. [My pops] was known for a lot off the field. We talk about it all the time. The combination of the off-the-field presence and the on-the-field presence that he had and the way he did it made a really big difference. I want to do that too.”

In January 2024, Shilo and his brother, Shedeur,walked the runwayat Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Fall/Winter 2024 Show in Paris. Shedeur modeled trousers with a camouflage print, along with a brown shirt and neon vest. Shilo wore a camouflage puffer jacket paired with brown pants.

“We want to be multi-dimensional. We don’t want to be just football,” Shilo said.

Shedeur Sanders, 23

Shedeur Sanders Instagram

Another son, another football star: Sanders' third son Shedeur is also a protegé when it comes to athletics. Born on Feb. 7, 2002, to Sanders and Biggers-Sanders, Shedeur’s career as a football quarterback began taking off in high school at Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill School in Texas (where his father was offensive coordinator for the football team). After originally committing to play college football at Florida Atlantic University, Shedeur flipped to Jackson State in 2021 — joining his father and big brother Shilo in what he called “a dream come true.”

“I feel like what we’re doing nobody has ever done. It’s going to inspire more people to hop on the wave to join it,” ShedeurtoldThe Dallas Morning Newsin December 2020. “People are scared to be the first to do anything, so now we paved the way for others to join.”

“Not only is he an exceptional football player and quarterback but he is one of the most influential players of his generation,” Brady told PEOPLE exclusively about Shedeur in October 2022.

Shedeur now plays for his dad, and alongside his brother Shilo, at the University of Colorado Boulder.

In December 2022, at a press conference in Boulder, where Sanders was officially announced as Colorado’s next head coach, the Hall of Famer pointed to Shedeur, saying, “This is your quarterback.” Sanders added: “He’s gonna have to earn it though.”

But Shedeur has no problem working hard and staying motivated, because “you got to carry on the family name,” he told PEOPLE in September 2021.

“You got to make something for yourself and that’s my main thing every day at the end of the day,” Shedeur explained. “I know when I turn 21 I’m on my own, so it doesn’t matter what pops did, it matters about me and what I’ve done in this world and what I did with my lifetime. Because I got the opportunity to do a lot of things.”

Shelomi Sanders, 21

Shelomi Sanders Instagram

“When I tell u GOD is Good GOD is Good! My young daughter @shelomisanders has committed to play basketball for the Back 2 Back Swac Champions @gojsutigerswbb !” Sandersposted on Instagramfollowing Shelomi’s announcement. He added, “God is so good. 3 kids on campus!” (At the time, big brothers Shilo and Shedeur were both on the JSU football team.)

Sanders also joked with Shelomi on her first day at Jackson State about her shorts being too short. Ina clip he posted to Twitter, Sanders said, “She still walk up in here with her little f—— shorts on.” He added, “Who do that, knowing your daddy is on campus?”

Shelomi laughed, responding to her dad: “I gotta look cute.”

source: people.com