Michele Timms
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Michele Margaret Timms (born June 28, 1965), and better known plainly as Michele Timms, is an Australian basketball player who played for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association. Many consider the Melbourne, Victoria native to be one of Australia's greatest female basketball players in history. She currently works as the basketball development officer for the South Dragons in the Australian National Basketball League.
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Personal
In addition to playing basketball, she has also parachuted off an airplane, played Australian rules football with her brothers, as well as cricket. In July of 2003, she announced she was pregnant, and on January 25, 2004 she had a daughter named Kalsie Patricia.
WNBA career
At the onset of the WNBA in 1997, she went to the Mercury, where she played in the WNBA Finals in 1998, losing to the Houston Comets. In 2001, she announced her retirement and almost immediately joined the Mercury's television broadcasting crew, a job which she held only for that season. She averaged 4.6 points and 4.0 assists per game with the Mercury; her highest scoring average in one season being 12.1 points per game in 1997. On August 7, 2002, her number "7" jersey became the first to be retired by the Phoenix Mercury, and only the 2nd jersey ever retired by the WNBA. Upon her retirement, she was the Mercury's career leader in assists.
In February of 2005, the Phoenix Mercury announced that she had been signed as an assistant coach under fellow Australian and Mercury head coach Carrie Graf.
Timms played a very influential role in opening the flood gate for many of the future international women's players, especially Australian women basketball stars.
International career
Timms began her professional basketball career in 1984 in Australia. In 1989, she became the first Australian woman to play internationally when she went to Germany to play with the Lotus München team. While playing in Germany, she got a chance to play alongside Marlies Askamp, who would later also play with her on the Mercury. While there, she was named the Women's International Player of The Year in 1994 and 1996.
Also in 1996, she helped the Australian national women's basketball team earn their first Olympic medal, earning Bronze at the Atlanta competition.
Vital statistics
- Position: Guard
- Height: 5 ft. 7 in. / 1.7 m
- College: Australia
- Team(s): Phoenix Mercury (WNBA)