Basketball On The Internet.

FIBA's decision to include Australian women's basketball pioneer and superstar Michele Timms into its 2016 Hall of Fame intake is basketball's best call since James Naismith cut the bottom out of the peach baskets.

The sizzling star player with the megawatt smile becomes Australia's first female player into the Hall and our second overall female behind Jan Stirling, who went in as a coach after winning the FIBA World Championship a decade ago, among other accolades.

The Victorian playmaker affectionately known as "Timmsy" will be enshrined in the Hall on Saturday, August 27 in Geneva and Mies, Switzerland.

She will be joined by David Stern, the Commissioner of the NBA from 1984-2014, and Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980-2001.

It was Juan who turned his announcement of the host city for the 2000 Olympics into the much-copied, never-bettered "Syd-en-ey".

Nigerian-American NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) heads the contingent of former players to be inducted, Spain's Juan Antonio San Epifanio, Panagiotis Fasoulas of Greece and Mexico's Manuel Raga also going in with Timms.

"Overwhelmed is an understatement," Timms said on Facebook, away, as she is, in France as assistant coach of the Chinese team attempting to qualify for Rio.

"Feel extremely honoured and for the first time, lost for words."

Timmsy has been one of our game's great role models and ambassadors, after a stellar playing career which started at Bulleen before she crossed to Nunawading to be coached by her mentor Tom Maher.

WNBL championships followed as a matter of course, with more won during stints in Perth and Sydney.

A seven-time WNBL All Star, Timmsy pioneered Aussie ballers heading to Europe in the 80s and was our first WNBA signing when the league tipped off 20 years ago.

Signed by Phoenix Mercury, her popularity was such her #7 uniform - which the club retired - was outselling any NBA top in Arizona, including those of stars Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley.

NUMBER 7: Michele Timms in the green-and-gold (or black and white here) of the Opals.

Chalking up 264 international games for Australia, Timmsy was an Opal at FIBA World Championships in 1986-90-94-98 and Olympic Games in 1988-96-2000.

Rounding out the FIBA Hall of Fame's 2016 Class of Inductees is legendary Argentinian coach Jorge Canavesi.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce this stellar 2016 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame," FIBA President Horacio Muratore said.

"These personalities contributed greatly to the growth, development and success of our sport. We look forward to honouring them."

The eight inductees, selected from a list of more than 150 candidates, will be honoured during a ceremony taking place at FIBA's House of Basketball in Mies.

The full list of inductees:

PLAYERS
Panagiotis Fasoulas (Greece)
Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria/USA)
Manuel Raga (Mexico)
Juan Antonio San Epifanio (Spain)
Michele Timms (Australia)

COACH
Jorge Canavesi (Argentina)

CONTRIBUTORS
Juan Antonio Samaranch (posthumous - Spain)
David Stern (USA)

Stern created a super Olympic buzz when in 1992 his negotiations with Samaranch allowed NBA players to compete at the Games and sparked the birth of the Dream Team that truly WAS a dream team.

"I am greatly honoured to have been selected for induction into the FIBA Hall of Fame," Stern said.

"I am proud of my collaboration with (former FIBA President) Borislav Stankovic to unite and strengthen basketball on a global basis, which has been continued by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann.

"It is also a great honour for me to be inducted with Hakeem Olajuwon and the other class of 2016 inductees who have contributed so much to our game."

Few have contributed more than Timms, who brought women's basketball to the forefront of newspaper sports pages and TV sports segments with her effervescent play and extraordinary and unmatched skills.

She truly is an Australian basketball legend and an absolute treasure.