Report: Maya Brady, Niece of NFL Icon Tom, Joins Athletes Unlimited Softball League

Former UCLA softball star Maya Brady is joining the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the shortstop has committed to the league ahead of the inaugural draft on Wednesday.

Brady is the niece to two members of Boston sports royalty. Her most famous relative is Tom Brady. She's also the niece of former Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis, in addition to being the daughter of former Fresno State All-American pitcher Maureen Brady.

The 23-year-old Maya Brady has carved out her own path to stardom in the sports world. She was a three-time All-American first-team selection and won the Pac-12 Player of the Year award in each of her final two seasons.

Brady ranks second in UCLA history in home runs (71), RBI (246), total bases (550) and slugging percentage (.757).

Athletes Unlimited was founded in 2020 with competitions in basketball, volleyball and lacrosse when it launched. Lacrosse has since been dropped from the rotation, while softball was announced in June 2024 with a start date of 2025.

Former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng will serve as a senior advisor for the league. She is helping to oversee the development of the league going into its debut season.

The league will include four teams playing a 30-game schedule. Games will be played in six to eight cities around the country, including Chicago, this season before adopting a fixed-city format in 2026.

Brady becomes the 43rd player to commit to the softball league. She joins other recent college standouts including former UCLA teammates Bubba Nickels and Delanie Wisz, Jocelyn Alo and Taylor McQuillin.

The four teams—Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts—will each have 16 players. The first 12 players on each team will be determined via draft, then they can sign one free agent and add three players from the college class of 2025.