Tom Brady's Niece, Softball Star Maya Brady, Calls Her Mom Her "Best Friend"
"My mom is somebody that I really look to for guidance, for opinion, somebody that just inspires me."
Published Dec. 2 2025, 10:20 a.m. ET
When the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) launched in 2025, UCLA softball star Maya Brady was drafted onto the Talons, one of four teams in the league's inaugural season. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because she is related to NFL icon Tom Brady. But who are Maya Brady's parents, and how is she related to the seven-time Super Bowl champ?
Before Maya joined the AUSL with the Talons, she played for the UCLA Bruins. And, it turns out, her mom played softball years before she did. Maya is also extremely close to her mother, though her parents reportedly split up when she was young. Now that Maya has a career in sports that could go pretty far with the AUSL, fans have growing questions about not only where she is going, but also where Maya is from.
Who are Maya Brady's parents?
Maya's mom, Maureen Brady, is Tom's sister. She played softball in college just like Maya did. And, Maya told Hurrdat Sports in July 2025, Maureen helped inspire her to play. She said that Maureen is the person she looks to the most "for guidance" and for her opinions in all things in life, including but not limited to sports.
"It's a super special kind of parallel that we have, and we love to talk softball," she said at the time. "We probably talk softball probably more than regular conversation, and it's just a special topic for us to both kind of touch on and have experiences on."
She also said it was an honor to play on the same field her mom once played on, even if they didn't play for the same teams in college.
Maureen didn't play for UCLA like Maya, but she did play for one of its rivals, Fresno State.
According to the official account for Fresno State Softball on X (formerly Twitter), Maureen's softball career in college was no joke. In 1994, she went All-American, which is the highest honor in college sports as an elite player. At the time, Maureen had 36 wins with the Bulldogs.
Per People, Maya's parents divorced when she was young. It's unclear if Maya is close to her father, Brian Timmons, but there isn't much known about him publicly. There does not appear to be a confirmed social media account for him, either. However, even if Maya and her father don't have a close relationship, she has called her Uncle Tom a "father figure" to her, according to ESPN.
Maya Brady has a supportive boyfriend too.
In addition to a family of athletes who continue to support Maya in her softball career, she has a boyfriend, at least according to her Instagram. In an April 2025 post, Maya called USC Trojans wide receiver Kyle Ford her "motivator, best friend, and BF." And, after Maya was chosen as the number one pick in the December 2025 draft, Kyle posted about it on his Instagram Stories.