Maya Brady has some serious athletic talent in her family tree. And she's not backing off the challenge of being associated with them.
What is the first athlete that comes to mind when reading the last name Brady? Yes, she's related to that Brady. That would be future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
But the athletic family members don't stop there. Another uncle is a legend of Boston sports in his own right, third baseman Kevin Youkilis, a two-time World Series winner who helped the city break the Curse of the Bambino.
Maya Brady has more than made her own name for herself. She represented Team USA in the Japan All-Star Series in 2022. She was the Softball America Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. Brady has since been twice named to All-American first teams (2021 and 2023) and has been the Pac-12 Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.
MORE: Tracking 2024 NCAA softball super regionals
"Not all pressure is bad pressure," Maya Brady told The Athletic in 2021. "For me, knowing that my family is very successful, I think it puts a lot of good pressure on me, to give myself goals, to try to strive to be the best I can be. It's not pressure like if I lose or I strike out, I feel like my family's not going to talk to me, or 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."
Here's everything you need to know about Brady's family.
Maya Brady family tree
Maya Brady parents
Brady's parents are Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons. Maureen Brady is Tom Brady's oldest of three sisters.
Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons were on the field to celebrate several of Tom Brady's Super Bowl runs and had two children together: Maya and Hannah. The couple divorced in July 2010, according to People.
Maureen Brady was a dominant softball pitcher during her athletic days. The Athletic reported she had 29 no-hitters and 14 perfect games while in high school and went on to pitch at Fresno State. During her Bulldog days, Maureen Brady went to a pair of College World Series in 1992 and 1994 and tallied 80 wins. Both when she was 13 and again in college, Maureen Brady faced Kelly Inouye-Perez, UCLA's current softball coach.
Even after she was done playing, Maureen Brady used to go with her dad, Tom Brady Sr., to the College World Series in Oklahoma City annually.
When Maureen Brady and Brian Timmons divorced, Maureen Brady handled most of the parenting, according to ESPN. She became a traveling nurse as she raised both Maya and Hannah Brady.
MORE: Bracket, schedule to watch 2024 NCAA softball super regionals
"Seeing how my mom operates in life is on another level, and I genuinely don't know if anyone works harder than her," Maya Brady told ESPN. "She constantly reminds me of how nothing is handed to you and how hard and unforgiving life can be, so I take what she tells me and I try to apply it in my own life, whether that be in the classroom or on the field."
Maya Brady told The Athletic she has been happy she and her mom share a bond over softball, and noted there is often a friendly competition of her mom saying she could strike her out or Maya Brady saying she could get a hit off her mom.
Per ESPN, Maureen Brady would tell Maya Brady to "think like a pitcher" and would go over exactly how she would pitch to her daughter if she were on the mound.
"It's amazing to see the path she kind of cleared for me. She's taught me so much in the sport and in life," Maya Brady told The Athletic.
Maya Brady uncles
Two of Brady's uncles are among the most well-known athletes in the world. Both are Boston icons. Tom Brady is Maureen Brady's younger brother. Kevin Youkilis is married to Julie Brady, Tom Brady's second-oldest sister.
The Athletic reported Maya Brady has been to all of Tom Brady's Super Bowls.
In 2010, Maya Brady recalled watching the Bruins go on a College World Series title run sparked her interest in the program. Her travel softball coach set Maya Brady up to meet the Bruins team while at a summer softball camp at UCLA and she, along with Maureen, Hannah and Tom Brady, all visited the Los Angeles squad.
"I remember being so nervous because it was my first UCLA game that I had ever gone to," Brady said, per ESPN. "I was that shy little 9-year-old kid that the coaches would ask questions to, and I would just smile and look at my mom because I couldn't even speak.
"My uncle Tommy was with me because he had moved to L.A. at the time and UCLA was right next to his house, so we wanted him to go with us to make it even more special for me."
The Brady family is all competitive, with Tom Brady at one point posting a video of a family dodgeball matchup. Maya Brady explained in the posted video, she was the main target in the boys vs. girls matchup.
"We all just love sports and love being competitive," Maya Brady told The Athletic. "The common denominator is that we all love winning. Especially in such a close family, you get bragging rights. That win might carry over to our next family vacation. You hate to hear about it for months at a time, but a lot’s on the line when the Brady family decides to take part in a sport."
It might be a competitive group, but it's also a tight-knit one.
Since Maya Brady has taken the college softball world by storm, Tom Brady has done plenty to hype her up.
Maya Brady, the most dominant athlete in the Brady family...by far! https://t.co/BUstHqAyjD
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 7, 2021
"We’re very close," Maya told The Athletic. "We're a very close family in general, but I have a really special bond with Uncle Tommy, and I'm really grateful that he's just so supportive of me, given the thousands of things he has to do, especially after the amazing season that he and his team just had. It’s really special to see him truly recognize the most athletic in the family."
