Deion Sanders once made a surprising admission when talking about the most athletic person he had ever been around. While many fans would expect the Hall of Famer to name himself or another sports legend first, Deion Sanders pointed to someone much closer to home.
In his own words, the Colorado Buffaloes HC said the most athletic person in his life was a family member, before later mentioning one of the greatest multi-sport athletes in history as the next closest comparison.
Deion Sanders Names Cousin Junebug as Most Athletic
Deion Sanders said, “My cousin, Junebug… he was very athletic he would steal stuff, when I came home from college, I could never catch him.”
The quote immediately stood out because it came from one of the most gifted athletes in football history. Deion Sanders built his career on elite speed, quickness, and instincts, first at Florida State University and later in the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
Still, when asked about the most athletic person he had ever shared the field with or been around, he pointed to his cousin first.
He then added more context, saying, “He was selling. I would have to go and get it back out of the hood from the drug dealers.”
That statement served as direct backup to the story Sanders was telling. Rather than shifting away from the original quote, he used it to explain why Junebug’s speed and movement stood out so much to him.
According to Sanders, even after returning home from college, he still could not catch him.
For an athlete widely known as one of the fastest players ever, that line adds weight to the story and helps explain why the memory stayed with him.
Bo Jackson Mentioned Next
After naming his cousin first, Sanders then turned to another legendary athlete.
“He was the most athletic, my cousin, Junebug, but next to that I think it was BO Jackson,” concluded Deion Sanders.
Bo Jackson is often regarded as one of the most naturally gifted athletes in American sports history, having starred in both professional football and baseball.
By placing Bo Jackson second on the list, Sanders kept the focus on the original point: in his view, the most athletic person he had ever been around was still his cousin.
The comparison also connects two major sports icons, making the quote especially notable for football fans and sports history followers.
Sanders’ comments remain a factual account of his personal experience and memory. He did not frame it as a debate or ranking based on awards. Instead, he simply shared who stood out to him the most.
Because of that, the quote continues to draw attention whenever fans revisit stories from Deion Sanders’ career and life away from the field.
For many, it remains one of the more unexpected things Sanders has ever said about athletic ability, especially considering his own legacy as one of the greatest athletes in sports history.
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