Melissa Sinfield

Melissa Sinfield (; born 23 March 1977) is an Australian former professional basketball player. She played 13 seasons in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), including 11 with the Perth Breakers/Lynx. She also played in the State Basketball League (SBL), where she won five championships with the Perry Lakes Hawks.

Early life Sinfield was born in Horsham, Victoria, where she played basketball as a youth but often in boys teams due to the lack of girls competition. She represented Victoria Country in under-16s and under-18s.

Basketball career WNBL In 1994 and 1995, Sinfield attended the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra and played for the AIS women's team in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).

In 1996, Sinfield joined the Perth Breakers. Basketball Western Australia took over the licence and renamed the team the Perth Lynx, but the organisation lacked money to pay players. Sinfield retired in 2006 having played in only 15 wins from her last 105 games, all without being paid. Her number 13 jersey was retired by the Lynx in 2016.

SBL Between 1996 and 2003, Sinfield played for the Perry Lakes Hawks in the State Basketball League (SBL) and won SBL championships in 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003. She returned for a final season in 2007 and won a fifth championship. She was named SBL Most Valuable Player in 1999 and SBL Grand Final MVP in 2003. In 189 games, she averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.7 steals per game.

In 2008, Sinfield was a member of the Hawks' championship-winning team as an assistant coach.

In August 2019, Sinfield was included in a 'Culture of Champions' mural at Horsham Basketball Stadium, a permanent display featuring 14 Horsham players who had national and international success. She was Horsham's first national female basketballer.

In 2023, Sinfield was inducted into the Perry Lakes Hawks Hall of Fame. The couple have three children. As of 2021, she spent her time balancing a nursing career with coaching her son's basketball team and serving on the NBL1 West commission.