Deion Sanders’ daughter joins the Bikini Basketball League despite her dad being ‘kind of upset’

(@deiondrasanders)Deion Sanders was a two-sport athlete.

Now his daughter is making a name for herself by playing a sports league named after a two-piece bathing suit.
Deiondra Sanders, daughter of the Hall of Fame football player, has agreed to play in the upstart Bikini Basketball League this season. Featuring several former professional basketball players including some who have played in the WNBA and overseas, the league is a bit of a misnomer as the players wear shorts and sports bras and not actual bathing suits.
Still, it amounts to a little more material than Deion’s famous bandanna he’d wear on his head on game day. And even though Deiondra's father was known for his flamboyant personality including gold chains and exuberant touchdown dances, his daughter's signing with the league didn’t originally sit well with dear old dad.

“My dad was kind of upset, but that’s like any parent who just sees bikini league,” Deiondra told Jeff Sammut of 590 The Fan in Toronto. “He thought I was gonna be out there in a bikini. He [saw] a picture of our uniform and stuff like that, so I think once he saw that we’re actually covered up a little bit, he wasn’t as concerned.”

Deiondra hopes that playing in the league will put her in prime-time position for her career and for being a “positive voice.” She will play for the Atlanta Peaches.
Sanders’ daughter also took a shot at the Lingerie Football League during the interview. As its name suggests, the LFL actually features women playing football in lingerie. She sees differences between the Bikini Basketball League and the Lingerie Football League beyond the wardrobe choices.

“I just think that it’s a lot different because we actually do have players, real basketball players, that actually have played in the WNBA before,” Sanders said. “So I think that this will make a difference because people are really gonna see real-life hoopers. They just look good while doing it.”

Somewhere, Nikki Johnson isn't too happy at the insinuation that she isn’t a “real” football player. After all, this hit was harder than anything Deiondra's dad ever laid on the field.
This isn't the first time that Deiondra has been in the headlines. She went on a well-publicized Twitter rant against her stepmother in 2011 and a very public breakup with Quincy Miller of the Denver Nuggets in 2012.