It looks like athletic ability runs in Tom Brady’s family. The former NFL quarterback, who has seven Super Bowl victories under his belt, may have stepped away from the gridiron, but that just gives him a lot more time to cheer on his niece, who is a rising softball star.
Suggested Reading
Oh, and did we mention that she’s also half Black?
Maya Brady, the 24-year-old daughter of Tom’s oldest sister, Maureen, has been playing softball since she was 4 years old. A standout shortstop and hitter at UCLA, she was selected as the 2023 PAC-12 Player of the Year and the PAC-12 Batting Champion. After starting her professional career last season with the Tuscaloosa Talons, Brady was chosen by the brand-new Oklahoma City Spark during the Athletes Unlimited Softball League expansion draft on Dec. 1.
While her uncle may have been a football legend, don’t get it twisted, Maya’s mom, who was an All-American softball pitcher at Fresno State University, also has a pretty impressive athletic background. Maureen raised Maya and her younger sister as a single mom since splitting from her father, Brian Timmons, in 2010 – but she gets plenty of love from her uncle, with whom she says she is thick as thieves.
“We’re a very close family in general, but I have a really special bond with Uncle Tommy,” she told the Athletic in 2021.
Tom is already one of Maya’s biggest fans, frequently shouting her out on social media.
“Maya Brady, the most dominant athlete in the Brady family…by far!” he wrote on X in 2021.
Although Maya Brady knows that with her famous last name comes enormous sneakers to fill, she says she’s more than up for the challenge and is proud to carry on the Brady legacy.
“For me, knowing that my family is very successful, I think it puts a lot of good pressure on me,” she told The Athletic in a 2021 interview. “It’s not pressure like I’m going to put shame on the Brady family name. It’s just good pressure. I love bearing the last name. I’m just really proud of it.”
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.