 Timms with theChinese national team in 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1965-06-28)28 June 1965 (age 60) Melbourne, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 132 lb (60 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1984–2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2005–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Bulleen Boomers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1990 | Nunawading Spectres | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Lotus Munich | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Perth Breakers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Lotus Munich | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Firenze Basket | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Sydney Flames | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | BTV Wuppertal | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | Phoenix Mercury | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Bulleen Boomers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Phoenix Mercury (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | South Dragons (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Bulleen Boomers (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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| Stats atBasketball Reference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIBA Hall of Fame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Michele Margaret TimmsAM (born 28 June 1965) is an Australianbasketball coach and former player. She played five seasons for thePhoenix Mercury of theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and into theFIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.
In theWomen's National Basketball League (WNBL), Timms made 285 appearances and won fivechampionships.
Timms debuted in the WNBL in 1984 with theBulleen Boomers. She joined theNunawading Spectres in 1985 and played six seasons for the club. Between 1991 and 1994, she played for thePerth Breakers. In 1995 and 1996, she played for theSydney Flames. For the1998–99 WNBL season, she returned to the Bulleen Boomers.[1] She won fourWNBL championships with Nunawading and one with Perth.[1] In the1992 season, Timms was captain of the Breakers team that won the championship.[2]
At the onset of the WNBA in 1997, Timms was assigned to thePhoenix Mercury in the initial player allocation. Her debut game was played on June 22, 1997 in a 76–59 win over theCharlotte Sting where she recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.[3] 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 theNew 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 thefinals but lost to theHouston 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 theLos 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 theHouston Comets where she recorded 10 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds.[4] 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'stelevision broadcasting crew, a job which she held only for that season.[5]
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 beingKim Perrot). Upon her retirement, she was the Mercury's career leader in assists.
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 forBTV Wuppertal between 1995 and 1997.[1] She won theFIBA Women's European Champions Cup with Wuppertal in1996.[1]
Timms made 264 appearances for theAustralian 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.[1]
Timms made her coaching debut in 2005 as an assistant coach with thePhoenix Mercury. In 2006, she joined theSouth Dragons of theNational Basketball League (NBL) as a basketball development officer.[6] She became an assistant coach for the Dragons in the2007–08 NBL season.[7] 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.[8] She went to serve as an assistant coach of theChina women's national basketball team (2008,[9] 2013–2016); assistant coach of theBulleen Boomers (2009–2011); and assistant coach of theAustralia women's national basketball team (2009–2012).[1]
Timms was named theWomen's International Player of The Year in 1994 and 1996. She received anAustralian Sports Medal in 2000 and was inducted into theSport Australia Hall of Fame in 2003.[10][11] In 2008, Timms was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame.[12]
On 17 August 2016, Timms was inducted into theFIBA Hall of Fame.[13][14]
Timms was made a Member of theOrder of Australia in the2018 Australia Day Honours.[15]
On 6 April 2024, Timms was named to theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame.[16]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Phoenix | 27 | 27 | 35.8 | .336 | .345 | .760 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 12.1 |
| 1998 | Phoenix | 30 | 30 | 31.1 | .318 | .298 | .694 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 6.9 |
| 1999 | Phoenix | 30 | 29 | 26.8 | .354 | .348 | .776 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 6.8 |
| 2000 | Phoenix | 8 | 8 | 22.0 | .367 | .235 | 1.000 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
| 2001 | Phoenix | 21 | 18 | 19.4 | .345 | .304 | .800 | 2.1 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 4.7 |
| Career | 5 years, 1 team | 116 | 112 | 28.3 | .338 | .324 | .755 | 2.7 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 6.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Phoenix | 1 | 1 | 40.0 | .091 | .000 | .600 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| 1998 | Phoenix | 6 | 6 | 34.7 | .352 | .273 | 1.000 | 3.3 | 5.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 9.0 |
| Career | 2 years, 1 team | 7 | 7 | 35.4 | .308 | .250 | .867 | 3.4 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 8.4 |
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