Jason Kelce Praises Brother Travis as His ‘Best Friend on the Planet’ and a ‘Great Uncle’: ‘We’re a Family That Loves Each Other’

Jason Kelce is detailing how his relationship with his brother, Travis Kelce, has grown in recent years.

The retired Philadelphia Eagles star, 37, and his younger brother, 35, took part in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. During the golf event on Friday, July 11, Jason shared that he considers Travis his “best friend on the planet.”

“Travis and I have been close for a long time,” Jason told reporters, per Starcade Media. “Now with the [New Heights] podcast, we talk to each other more than we ever have. We loved each other growing up. We still love each other. Now it’s more like peer to peer, whereas growing up, being the older brother, it was a little bit different.”

“Now it’s just, he’s my best friend on the planet,” he continued. “We get to talk once a week, and our families are close. He’s a great uncle. I think we try to share the right amount on the internet, the viral moments and whatnot. But you also try to keep some of the stuff private… We’re a family that loves each other, we love being around each other, and it’s good to sit down and talk once a week.”

The Kelce brothers were joined by their dad, Ed Kelce, at the golf event. They first arrived at the course on Thursday, July 10, and were spotted on the driving range that afternoon.

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Other celebrity contestants at the annual tournament, presented by American Century Investments, included actor Rob Mac, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Jason — who shares daughters Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 4, Bennett, 2, and Finnley, 3 months, with wife and fellow podcast host Kylie Kelce — has previously called his brother an “outstanding uncle” to his children. In February, the retired athlete shared on New Heights that he and Kylie, 33, were in “the thick of it” in terms of raising kids before the birth of their fourth child, as Travis said he looked forward to having “fun with those girls and hand them right back to you.”

“That’s the benefit of the uncle. Uncle Travie,” Jason replied, before praising his brother later in the episode.

“Travis has great advice. He’s a great uncle. Outstanding uncle,” he said.

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Donna Kelce, Travis and Jason’s mother, previously told PEOPLE in November 2023 that Travis “loves” being an uncle, clarifying that “he loves kids, period” and is “animated” with the role.

During Super Bowl 2025 week press conferences earlier this year, Travis also revealed how he felt about having another niece.

“Those girls warm my heart. They’re the absolute best,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end told members of the media, including PEOPLE, at the time. “Kylie and Jason are just unbelievable parents, great people first off, just unbelievable parents.”

“It’s fun that they’ve got another one coming in there, but that place is gonna be chaos,” he added, laughing.