Exclusive

Derek Jeter Shares Rare Look Inside His All-Star Life as a Girl Dad

In an exclusive interview with E! News, Derek Jeter offered a glimpse into his private world as a father to three daughters Bella, Story and River.

By Mike Vulpo Mar 23, 2023 1:30 PMTags
Watch: Derek Jeter & Wife Hannah Dream With Their "Eyes Wide Open" With Jeep

Derek Jeter has stepped up to the fatherhood plate.

Close to 10 years after retiring from MLB, the former New York Yankees player is taking a swing at carpools instead of baseballs as he raises daughters Bella Raine, 5, Story Grey, 4, and River Rose, 15 months, with wife Hannah Jeter

"They were taking tennis lessons for a while," Derek exclusively shared with E! News. "I want my girls to be involved in sports, just because there's lessons that you learn from playing sports like work ethic, teamwork, setting goals and you have to deal with failure."

At the same time, Derek isn't pushing them into playing anything specific. Instead, he's hoping they find their own passions organically.

"I was never pushed into playing sports, but I think it's important for them to do it at some point," he said. "The fun part of having kids that are so young is you can introduce them to all different types of career opportunities, all different things and you want them to find what they're excited about."

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2022 MLB Postseason Dads

Derek's oldest child has already discovered something totally different from what made her dad a sports legend.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

"My oldest loves taking pictures," Derek revealed. "I just want them to find the thing that they're passionate about and then help them achieve whatever goals they may have."

It's also about having good ol' fashioned family fun.

When looking at Derek's Instagram, you'll spot the Greatness Wins founder getting his nails done by his daughters. And yes, he also agreed to set up the inflatable water slide one summer afternoon.

Instagram

"The great thing with having kids is regardless of how your day went, most days they're happy to see when you come home. And that's a great feeling," he said. "Regardless of how good or bad your day was, your kids at this age are happy to see you. It doesn't get any better than that."

With summer quickly approaching, Derek is continuing his partnership with Jeep and making new family memories in the Grand Wagoneer.

While the SUV has plenty of room for the entire family, Derek applauded the vehicle's features for a driver always on the go. "It's a lot of family time in the car—school pickup, drop off, events," he said. "I started thinking about being comfortable and luxury and it doesn't get better than Jeep."

Mike Furman/Jeep

And the SUV's massage chairs aren't so bad either when Derek is forced to play his daughters' favorite music from the Encanto and Frozen movie soundtracks.

"I've heard it over and over and over and over again," Derek joked. "I'm trying to push them in another direction, but that seems to be the two right now. I'm going old school R&B with them now, and they're starting to appreciate a few of the songs."

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