Editing Michele Timms

{{Short description|Australian basketball player and coach (born 1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = Michele Timms
| image           = Micheletimms2016.jpg
| image_size      = 180px
| caption         = Timms with the [[China women's national basketball team|Chinese national team]] in 2016
| height_ft       = 5 
| height_in       = 7
| weight_lb       = 132
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1965|6|28}}
| birth_place     = [[Melbourne]], Australia
| career_start    = 1984
| career_end      = 2001
| coach_start     = 2005
| career_number   = 
| career_position = [[Point guard]]
| years1          = 1984
| team1           = [[Bulleen Boomers]]
| years2          = 1985–1990
| team2           = [[Nunawading Spectres]]
| years3          = 1989–1990
| team3           = Lotus Munich
| years4          = 1991–1994
| team4           = [[Perth Breakers]]
| years5          = 1992–1993
| team5           = Lotus Munich
| years6          = 1993–1994
| team6           = Firenze Basket
| years7          = 1995–1996
| team7           = [[Sydney Flames]]
| years8          = 1995–1997
| team8           = [[BTV 1846 Wuppertal|BTV Wuppertal]]
| years9          = {{WNBA Year|1997}}–{{WNBA Year|2001}}
| team9           = [[Phoenix Mercury]]
| years10         = 1998–1999
| team10          = Bulleen Boomers
| cyears1         = {{WNBA Year|2005}}
| cteam1          = [[Phoenix Mercury]] (assistant)
| cyears2         = 2007–2008
| cteam2          = [[South Dragons]] (assistant)
| cyears3         = 2009–2011
| cteam3          = [[Bulleen Boomers]] (assistant)
| highlights      = 
'''As player:'''
* [[WNBA All-Star Game|WNBA All-Star]] ([[1999 WNBA All-Star Game|1999]])
* 5× [[List of WNBL champions|WNBL champion]] (1986–1989, 1992)
* [[EuroLeague Women|FIBA Women's European Champions Cup]] winner ([[1995–96 FIBA Women's European Champions Cup|1996]])
* No. 7 [[Phoenix Mercury#Retired numbers|retired by Phoenix Mercury]]
'''As coach:'''
* [[List of WNBL champions|WNBL champion]] (2011)
| bbr_wnba        = timmsmi01w
| FIBA_HOF_player = Michele-Timms
| womensHOF       = michele-timms
| medaltemplates  =
{{MedalSport |Women's [[Basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]]|[[Australia women's national basketball team|National team]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[Basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]]|National team}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIBA World Championship for Women|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1998 FIBA World Championship for Women|1998 Germany]]|Team Competition}}
}}
'''Michele Margaret Timms''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AM}} (born 28 June 1965) is an Australian [[basketball]] coach and former player. She played five seasons for the [[Phoenix Mercury]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA). She was inducted into the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2008 and into the [[FIBA Hall of Famer|FIBA Hall of Fame]] in 2016.

In the [[Women's National Basketball League]] (WNBL), Timms made 285 appearances and won five [[List of WNBL champions|championships]].

==Professional career==
===WNBL===
Timms debuted in the WNBL in 1984 with the [[Bulleen Boomers]]. She joined the [[Nunawading Spectres]] in 1985 and played six seasons for the club. Between 1991 and 1994, she played for the [[Perth Breakers]]. In 1995 and 1996, she played for the [[Sydney Flames]]. For the [[1998–99 WNBL season]], she returned to the Bulleen Boomers.<ref name=fiba-hof>{{cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/hall-of-fame/Michele-Timms|title=Michele Timms – Hall of Fame|work=[[FIBA]]|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref> She won four [[List of WNBL champions|WNBL championships]] with Nunawading and one with Perth.<ref name="fiba-hof" /> In the [[1992 WNBL season|1992 season]], Timms was captain of the Breakers team that won the championship.<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Donoghue|first=Craig|url=https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/melissa-sinfield-and-melissa-marsh-hope-a-perth-lynx-championship-will-secure-the-clubs-financial-future-c-13906853|title=Melissa Sinfield and Melissa Marsh hope a Perth Lynx championship will secure the club's financial future|work=[[The West Australian]]|date=12 March 2024|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240312073706/https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/melissa-sinfield-and-melissa-marsh-hope-a-perth-lynx-championship-will-secure-the-clubs-financial-future-c-13906853|archive-date=12 March 2024}}</ref>

===WNBA===
At the onset of the WNBA in 1997, Timms was assigned to the [[Phoenix Mercury]] in the initial player allocation. Her debut game was played on June 22, 1997 in a 76 - 59 win over the [[Charlotte Sting]] where she recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/boxscores/199706220PHO.html | title=Charlotte Sting at Phoenix Mercury, June 22, 1997 }}</ref> Timms had a very dominant rookie season with averages of 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. The Mercury finished with a 16 - 12 record and made the playoffs but were eliminated in the semi-finals by the [[New York Liberty]].

For the 1998 season, Timms had a drop in all of her season averages except for assists. Recording a lower average in minutes played, points, rebounds and steals than her previous season. The Mercury was still able to complete the season with a 19 - 11 record and reach the [[WNBA Finals|finals]] but lost to the [[Houston Comets]]. Timms came within inches of giving the Mercury their first title; with the Mercury up 1-0 and needing only one more win for the championship, and Game Two tied at 66 with three seconds to go, Timms took a three-point shot that bounced off the rim's back. Ultimately, the Comets won that game 74–69 in overtime, and then the championship in Game Three.

The Mercury reached the playoffs with a 20 - 12 record in the 1998 season, but Timms only played 8 games that season and sat out of the playoffs as the Mercury lost in the semi-finals to the [[Los Angeles Sparks]].

Timms bounced back and played more games in the 2001 season, playing in 21 games and averaging more points and assists than the previous season. But 2001 saw the Mercury have their worst record so far of 13 - 19. Timms' final WNBA game was played on August 14, 2001 in a 56 - 38 win over the [[Houston Comets]] where she recorded 10 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/boxscores/200108140PHO.html|title=Houston Comets at Phoenix Mercury, August 14, 2001|website=Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref> That very same day (as it was the final game of the season and the Mercury were officially not making the playoffs), Timms announced her retirement and almost immediately joined the Mercury's [[television]] broadcasting crew, a job which she held only for that season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/mercury/archives/timms_bio.html|title=MERCURY: Michele Timms #7|website=www.wnba.com}}</ref>

On August 7, 2002, her number 7 jersey became the first to be retired by the Phoenix Mercury, and only the second jersey ever retired by the WNBA (the first being [[Kim Perrot]]). Upon her retirement, she was the Mercury's career leader in assists.

===Europe===
Timms played five seasons in Europe. Her first came in 1989–90 with German team Lotus Munich. She returned to Lotus Munich in 1992–93, played for Firenze Basket in Italy in 1993–94, and then played two seasons for [[BTV 1846 Wuppertal|BTV Wuppertal]] between 1995 and 1997.<ref name="fiba-hof" /> She won the [[EuroLeague Women|FIBA Women's European Champions Cup]] with Wuppertal in [[1995–96 FIBA Women's European Champions Cup|1996]].<ref name="fiba-hof" />

===National team===
Timms made 264 appearances for the [[Australia women's national basketball team|Australian national team]]. She participated in four World Championships (1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) and three Olympic Games (1988, 1996, 2000). She won Olympic bronze and silver medals (1996, 2000) and a World Championship bronze medal (1998). She was captain of the Olympic team in 2000.<ref name="fiba-hof" />

==Coaching career==
Timms made her coaching debut in 2005 as an assistant coach with the [[Phoenix Mercury]]. In 2006, she joined the [[South Dragons]] of the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League]] (NBL) as a basketball development officer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/dragons-make-inaugural-nbl-signing-20060318-gdn6cr.html|title=Dragons make inaugural NBL signing|work=smh.com.au|date=18 March 2006|access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref> She became an assistant coach for the Dragons in the [[2007–08 NBL season]].<ref>[http://southdragons.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=73792 Timms signs off on Dragons], southdragons.com.au, 9 January 2008</ref> She quit as an assistant and development coach in January 2008 to go abroad for interviews for assistant coaching positions with two women's teams.<ref>{{cite web|last=Howell|first=Stephen|url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketball/timms-to-leave-the-dragons-for-us-job-20080110-ge6lbe.html|title=Timms to leave the Dragons for US job|work=theage.com.au|date=10 January 2008|access-date=19 May 2024}}</ref> She went to serve as an assistant coach of the [[China women's national basketball team]] (2008,<ref>Bernard, G., [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23190978-10914,00.html China calls for Timms], ''Herald Sun'', 10 February 2008</ref> 2013–2016); assistant coach of the [[Bulleen Boomers]] (2009–2011); and assistant coach of the [[Australia women's national basketball team]] (2009–2012).<ref name="fiba-hof" />

==Honours==
Timms was named the ''Women's International Player of The Year'' in 1994 and 1996. She received an [[Australian Sports Medal]] in 2000 and was inducted into the [[Sport Australia Hall of Fame]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/979698|title=Timms, Michele: Australian Sports Medal|publisher=It's an Honour|access-date=23 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/michele-timms/|title=Michele Timms|publisher=Sport Australia Hall of Fame|access-date=26 September 2020}}</ref> In 2008, Timms was inducted into the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbhof.com/inductees.html|title=WBHOF Inductees|publisher=WBHOF|access-date=2009-08-01}}</ref>

On 17 August 2016, Timms was inducted into the [[FIBA Hall of Famer|FIBA Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/australian-opals-wnba-legend-michele-timms-to-enter-fiba-hall-of-fame-20160610-gpgvxz.html|title=Australian Opals, WNBA legend Michele Timms to enter FIBA Hall of Fame|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 June 2016|access-date=2016-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/news/2016-class-of-fiba-hall-of-fame-michele-timms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818203539/http://www.fiba.com/news/2016-class-of-fiba-hall-of-fame-michele-timms|url-status=live|archive-date=18 August 2016|title=2016 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Michele Timms|website=FIBA.com|access-date=2016-10-25}}</ref>

Timms was made a Member of the [[Order of Australia]] in the [[2018 Australia Day Honours]].<ref>{{cite web|title=TIMMS, Michele Margaret|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/2000549|website=Australian Honours Search Facility, Dept of Prime Minister & Cabinet|access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref>

On 6 April 2024, Timms was named to the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter headline 2024 Hall of Fame class |date=6 April 2024 |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39887292/chauncey-billups-vince-carter-headline-2024-hall-fame-class}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{{WNBA player statistics legend}}

===Regular season===
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1997 WNBA season|1997]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 27 || 27 || '''35.8''' || .336 || .345 || .760 || '''3.7''' || 5.1 || '''2.6''' || 0.1 || '''3.0''' || '''12.1'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1998 WNBA season|1998]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1998 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| '''30''' || '''30''' || 31.1 || .318 || .298 || .694 || 2.5 || '''5.3''' || 1.3 || 0.1 || 2.3 || 6.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1999 WNBA season|1999]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1999 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 30 || 29 || 26.8 || .354 || '''.348''' || .776 || 2.6 || 5.0 || 1.4 || 0.2 || '''3.0''' || 6.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2000 WNBA season|2000]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2000 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 8 || 8 || 22.0 || '''.367''' || .235 || '''1.000''' || 2.0 || 2.3 || 1.9 || '''0.3''' || 2.3 || 3.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2001 WNBA season|2001]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2001 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 21 || 18 || 19.4 || .345 || .304 || .800 || 2.1 || 4.1 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 2.0 || 4.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Career
| style="text-align:left;"|5 years, 1 team
| 116 || 112 || 28.3 || .338 || .324 || .755 || 2.7 || 4.8 || 1.6 || 0.2 || 2.6 || 6.0
{{s-end}}

===Playoffs===
{{WNBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[WNBA playoffs#1997 season|1997]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1997 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| 1 || 1 || '''40.0''' || .091 || .000 || .600 || 4.0 || 1.0 || '''4.0''' || 0.0 || 2.0 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[WNBA playoffs#1998 season|1998]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1998 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| '''6''' || '''6''' || 34.7 || '''.352''' || '''.273''' || '''1.000''' || 3.3 || '''5.2''' || 0.8 || 0.0 || '''3.5''' || '''9.0'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Career
| style="text-align:left;"|2 years, 1 team
| 7 || 7 || 35.4 || .308 || .250 || .867 || 3.4 || 4.6 || 1.3 || 0.0 || 3.3 || 8.4
{{s-end}}

== See also ==
* [[List of Australian WNBA players]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes|list=
{{Australia Women Basketball Squad 1996 Summer Olympics}}
{{Australia Women Basketball Squad 2000 Summer Olympics}}
{{2024 Basketball HOF}}
{{Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members}}
{{Women's Basketball Hall of Fame}}
{{Phoenix Mercury}}
{{FIBA Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timms, Michele}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States]]
[[Category:Australian women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate basketball people in Germany]]
[[Category:FIBA Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Phoenix Mercury players]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:Olympic basketball players for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in basketball]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from Victoria (state)]]
[[Category:WNBA All-Stars]]
[[Category:Expatriate sportspeople in West Germany]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportswomen]]