$13,000,000 ex-NBA champ drops heartfelt reaction as Deion Sanders honors his mom’s no-nonsense wisdom on special day

Former NBA forward Matt Barnes reacted to Deion Sanders' touching message to celebrate his mother's birthday. On Sunday, the Colorado Buffaloes coach shared a lengthy message on Instagram.

"@mommaconnie21 Happy Birthday to the Greatest Mother in the game. My mama just wanted me to make it & she always told me to stay out the streets, don’t do no drugs or drink, don’t get these girls pregnant & work hard & be great at whatever you do.

"She Never tried to run my life, sabotage my relationships, stay in my pockets, be seen & heard, find the camera or Cause drama so she could come to the rescue. My mama old school but not an old fool and she ain’t worked since “89” because I retired her in advance for being apart of my peace. Young athletes yo mama’s could learn from @mommaconnie21 She’s a Real 1," Sanders captioned.

Barnes, who has a net worth of $13 million (per Celebrity Net Worth), commented a few emojis to extend the good wishes to Sanders' mom.

Matt Barnes' comment (image credit: instagram/coachprime)

Sanders' mom also reacted to the post, saying it was a nice gesture. Coach Prime and the NBA have been connected in recent weeks, as five-time champion Ron Harper has supported Shedeur Sanders amid criticism, and LeBron James will release a sneaker inspired by Sanders' Diamond Turf shoes.

P.J. Washington recalls time playing under Deion Sanders

Before becoming a solid NBA role player with the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, P.J. Washington used to play football and spent time with Deion Sanders as his coach.

Washington revealed to Sports Illustrated during an interview on Wednesday that Sanders has been a family friend.

"I've known Deion since I was even younger," Washington said. "My brother used to play with Shilo. Always been a family friend. I actually played for one of his teams too."

Washington added that he used to play as a defensive end.

"My first love was football," Washington said. "I used to love playing defense, hitting people. All that type of stuff. But for me, when I got to eighth grade and I was like 6'4," I got chop-blocked too many times, and I'm like, 'I like my knees.' So yeah, go ahead and focus on basketball."

Washington remains a strong defender but does it on the court instead of the field. One could say his football roots with one of the greatest defenders of all time helped him succeed in basketball.