Derek Jeter is grateful to his parent for being his support system: "I have the greatest parents in the world. Not everyone has that support"

Last week, New York Yankees legend and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter was on TODAY with Misty Copeland where he counted his blessings and thanked his family for always being his strong support system.

His parents, Charles and Dorothy, have done a lot to prepare him for life, from helping him strike a balance between baseball and school, to raising him to be conscious of prejudice.

In a nutshell, the parents of the former star shortstop have served as his greatest teachers and sources of motivation. During his interview on TODAY, Derek said:

“I have the greatest parents in the world. I understand that my parents have been very very supportive of me. But not everyone has that support group.”

"When Derek Jeter was a kid, he told people he was going to be a MLB player. “People would laugh,” Jeter said. “Then they’d tell my parents, ‘You shouldn’t put those ideas in your son’s head.’’”Jeter’s mom Dot: “We’ve always told our kids they could be better than anyone else.” - Darren Rovell

It is impressive that Jeter never fails to acknowledge his parents' contribution time and again.

Derek Jeter chose Mother's Day for his New York Yankees jersey retirement ceremony

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 14: Derek Jeter poses with his family during the retirement ceremony of his number 2 jersey at Yankee Stadium on May 14, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/General Mills via Getty Images)

In 2017, when it was announced that the New York Yankees would retire his jersey, he purposely chose to have the ceremony on Mother’s Day.

Here's what the former Yankees captain had to say about his thoughtful decision:

"My mom especially has been very supportive ever since I was younger, but not just playing baseball. It was with anything that me or my sister wanted to do where she was very supportive."

He added:

"So I thought it would be nice to have this special day on Mother's Day to honor her and all that she's meant not only to my career, but she helped shape who I am today."

"Derek Jeter says he chose Mother's Day for jersey retirement ceremony to do 'something special for my mom.'" - theScore

On May 14, 2017, Derek's jersey was retired at a ceremony at Yankee Stadium. He is the 22nd Yankee whose uniform number has been retired by the MLB franchise.