On Tuesday, January 2, American singer-songwriter Ciara revealed that she discovered she was a distant cousin of New York Yankees legend and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
Family trees are complicated. No one knows their entire lineage, or even the people currently living to whom they are related. However, being reunited with someone as famous as Derek Jeter is obviously a huge shock, even though Ciara is a huge celebrity herself.
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What is the connection between Jeter and Ciara?
The DNA test, conducted by Dr. Henry Gates on the show “Finding Your Roots,” revealed that Ciara and Jeter shared an identical strand of DNA on their fourteenth chromosome. Members of the show knew it was a match because Jeter had previously appeared in an episode and also had his DNA tested. Genealogists know that this specific strand of DNA came from Jeter's mother.
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Ciara's other connection to the New York Yankees
It's no secret that Ciara is married to Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Less well known is the fact that Wilson was also drafted by an MLB team… three times, in 2007 (41st round, Baltimore Orioles), 2010 (4th round, Colorado Rockies) and 2013 (Rule 5 Draft, Texas Rangers). What position did Wilson play? Midfielder of course. Wilson even played two seasons in the minor leagues before being selected in the NFL draft to play quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Additionally, the team that currently holds Russell Wilson's draft rights is, you guessed it, the New York Yankees after the Rangers traded away his rights in 2018. Wilson even received an at-bat from the Yankees during from a spring training game in 2019. He ended up scratching Max Fried, who would finish in the top five in NL Cy Young voting during the 2020 season.
Have other celebrities discovered a long-lost famous relative with Dr. Gates?
They have. Recently, through Dr. Gates, actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg discovered that she was related to Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez.
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