Keegan Bradley had to ask Tom Brady to 'chill' after being hit & elbowed in game against Michael Jordan

2025 Ryder Cup Team USA captain, Keegan Bradley, took home the 2024 BMW Championship title last week, finishing 12-under-par, winning by one stroke. The 38-year-old has not only been busy picking up titles on the PGA Tour, he has also been preparing to lead USA to victory at next year's Ryder Cup.

During an episode of Golf.com's SubPar podcast with Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, Bradley gives listeners an insight into a high-pressure basketball game with legends Tom Brady and Michael Jordan.

Keegan Bradley was guarding Tom Brady, however, the quarterback's strategy threw the PGA Tour star off his game. Here's what the golfer had to say after getting elbowed:

"I had to guard [Tom] Brady. And Brady was going so hard, like, too hard. Elbowing me and like hitting me and like going up for rebounds, and I was like, "Dude, you've got to chill out." Because if I do come down and tear your ACL, I'm never going to be able to go home for Christmas ever again."

The two-time BMW Championship winner had asked Team Europe Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald, to join him and Brady for a game of hoops, to which he agreed. However, Michael Jordan remained hesitant.

After a bit of convincing, the NBA star agreed to come and play but was not very serious about it as he went on to decide to not use his basketball shoes and just 'hang around'. Soon enough, Jordan had asked for his shoes, which gave Bradley some hope as the group went on to have a tough competition.

Here's a look into the Ryder Cup captain's take on the incident:

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Keegan Bradley squashes rumors of Michael Jordan's role in the 2025 Ryder Cup

When Keegan Bradley was named as Team USA's captain a few months ago, fans were quick to speculate about Michael Jordan's involvement in the Ryder Cup team. The NBA and PGA Tour stars met each other for the first time during the 2012 edition of the Ryder Cup.

Bradley has gone on to claim that Jordan is one of the Ryder Cup's biggest fans as he attended almost every single event since the mid-90s. Fans speculated that the basketball star could potentially serve as a non-playing vice-captain for Team USA next year.

However, Keegan Bradley denied the possibility in an interview with Michael Breed. He said:

"He's not gonna be a vice-captain. He's there for me if I need advice on golf, life, Ryder Cup - he's always there. He's one of the best friends I can ever have. I'll use his knowledge as I do with everything. ... He'll be pissed if we lose."

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Yash Singh