Avelino "Samboy" Borromeo Lim Jr. (April 1, 1962 – December 23, 2023), nicknamed "The Skywalker", was a Filipino professional basketball player of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

and the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

in the 1980s and 1990s. As a high-flying wing, he distinguished himself with his flamboyant and often dangerous forays to the basket, punctuated by acrobatic shots, hang-time moves, or slam dunks. Lim was a five-time All-Star and two-time PBA Mythical Team selection, but he did not win a Most Valuable Player award because he did not complete a full season due to the multiple injuries he sustained on the court.

Career

Lim was discovered at 15-years old while playing on the courts of Phil-Am Life Homes in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

by former basketball player, Jun Celis. This subsequently led to athletic scholarships, which were helpful given that his father, Dr. Avelino B. Lim Sr., died due to coronary thrombosis just as the younger Lim was entering high school.

Amateur career

After high school in San Beda, Samboy spent a year's residence at Letran before finally seeing action in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

. Even as a first-year varsity player for the

Letran Knights The Letran Knights and Lady Knights are the collegiate varsity teams representing Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The high school varsity teams are called the ''Squires''. The college's varsity te ...

, Samboy was already a significant contributor to Letran's championship team. In 1983, Lim was remembered for the "Asthma series" against the San Sebastian Stags, where he had asthma throughout the championship series. Trailing the best-of-three series 1–0, Lim was fetched from the

University of Santo Tomas Hospital The University of Santo Tomas Hospital (''simply'' UST Hospital or USTH) is a hospital located at the University of Santo Tomas. The hospital has two divisions, a clinical teaching hospital that offers inexpensive medical care for indigent pa ...

on Game 2 to score 12 points, routing the Stags, then scored 20 points in the title-clinching Game 3. Samboy was all set to join the NCC squad of coach Ron Jacobs even before the start of the 1984 NCAA tournament but he begged for a grace period so he could play in the collegiate league. Samboy won the NCAA MVP trophy as he led the

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

to their third straight NCAA seniors' championships from 1982 to 1984, under coach Larry Albano. Lim was a consistent national team member. His first stint with the national team was during the

1983 SEA Games The 1983 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 12th Southeast Asian Games, or informally Singapore 1983, were a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Singapore from 28 May to 6 June 1983. Scheduled to be hosted by Brunei in accorda ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, where the Philippines retained the title. In 1984, he was a mainstay of the RP Youth team and the RP quintet in the Asian Interclub. He readily marched off to the Ron Jacobs camp the following year and as a rookie of the Northern Consolidated squad, the guest amateur quintet in the PBA. He dislodged several stars from their starting position and was always among the first five players off the bench. Samboy won championships with the nationals in the Jones Cup,

SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with su ...

, and the ABC crown in early 1986. After the NCC core disbanded, he was selected as part of the Philippine national team that competed in the

1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games (), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1986 (), were held from 20 September to 5 October 1986, in Seoul, South Korea. The venues and facilities of the 10th Asiad were the sa ...

. He was one of the main players and top scorers of the national team that went on to win the bronze medal. Samboy's first commercial team was the Lhuillier Jewelers in the Philippine Amateur Basketball league First Conference in 1986. He spearheaded the ballclub to a title, together with

Jojo Lastimosa Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa Jr. (born March 10, 1964) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is the team manager for the TNT Tropang 5G of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played in the PBA for the Purefo ...

and Al Solis.

Professional career

In September 1986, Lim was included in the line-up of the comebacking

San Miguel Beer San Miguel Beer refers to San Miguel Pale Pilsen, a Filipino pale lager and flagship beer of the San Miguel Brewery. The original San Miguel Brewery, Inc. was founded in San Miguel, Manila, as La Fábrica de Cerveza San Miguel in 1890 by Enri ...

in the

, which the team to be known as Magnolia Cheese, in the 1986 PBA Open Conference. Lim was injury-prone for the next two seasons (1987–88), although he helped the San Miguel Beermen earn the 1988 PBA Open Conference title. Lim's outstanding hang time earned him the monicker "Skywalker" and previous injuries did not stop him from playing with recklessly and coming up with acrobatic shots. Sat out 11 games early in the 1989 PBA Open Conference, Samboy missed "only" 18 games the whole season, the year San Miguel Beermen won the grand slam and Lim was the team's third-leading scorer with 15.2 ppg (13th-best in the league that season). Lim finally had an injury-free season in 1990. This resulted in his emerging as San Miguel's leading scorer. Lim scored 42 points in the 2nd PBA All-Star Game and was named Most Valuable Player. He was hands down choice as a member of the RP Team in the Asian Games in Beijing, China, and was selected in the Asian Games Mythical five. Samboy could have made it to the Mythical five in the PBA for the first time had his team fared better in the Third Conference. Nevertheless, the Dragon, as he was often called besides the Skywalker, settled for the Mythical Ten. In 1993, he was awarded with the first ever sportsmanship award for his exemplary behavior on the court. Lim was also a member of the Mythical Second Team Selection twice (1990 and 1993). His remarkable play was a joy to watch and he was a constant fan favorite because of his aerial maneuvers. However, also because of those seemingly inhuman skills, Lim suffered numerous serious injuries that limited his PBA career to just nine seasons. Despite the fact that he never won an MVP award, Lim was considered by fans as the "Real MVP." Throughout his career, he sported jersey no. 9 and wore knee-high socks, his testament and tribute to his idol Julius "Dr. J" Erving even though he stood only five feet eleven inches tall.

Later career and retirement

Lim retired from the PBA in 1997. In 1998, he joined the

Philippine Basketball League The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) was a commercial semi-professional basketball league in the Philippines. The league was composed of several commercial teams with several collegiate and provincial stars. History The PBL was formed on M ...

to play for the Welcoat House Paints in a guest appearance. In 2000, he was named into the PBA's 25 Greatest Players. In his entire PBA career, he played for only one team, San Miguel Beer, he later served as San Miguel team manager. In 2006, he assumed the team manager post of SMB's sister team

Barangay Ginebra Kings The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...

until 2013. In 2005, PBA fans had another chance to see him put his intensity and high-wire forays back on the court as he suited up for the PBA Greats Team. The PBA Greatest Game was held in the Araneta Coliseum as thousands of fans watched their favorite legends and great players of all time play. Lim scored 29 points in that game. On October 6, 2016, the PBA renamed the Sportsmanship Award in his honor as he was the first recipient of the feat. It is given to a PBA player who most "exemplifies the ideals of Sportsmanship on the court – ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity".

Personal life

Samboy Lim was married to Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe, the former CEO of the

Pag-IBIG Fund The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), commonly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund (acronym of its Filipino name: ''Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya at Gobyerno''), is a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Depa ...

, and former dean of the

University of the Philippines College of Law The University of the Philippines College of Law (often referred to as UP Law) is the law school of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Formally established in 1911 in UP Manila, it is the third oldest continually-operating law school ...

. Berberabe and Lim later separated. Their only child, Jamie Christine Berberabe Lim, is a

2019 SEA Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, were the 30th edition of the SEA Games, Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport ...

gold medalist and ''summa cum laude'' graduate of BS Mathematics from the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

Illness and death

Lim's health had been an issue during his playing days, with the numerous injuries he suffered as a result of his stunts on the court. After his retirement from active play, he kept himself fit by lifting weights, jogging, and playing basketball. He also set up a basketball clinic for children. In the early part of 2005, Samboy Lim started conducting basketball training classes and summer camps. His training regimen and modules focused on ball handling, dribbling, passing, shooting, lay-ups, and defense. In 2010, the Samboy Lim Player Development Academy was created. Enrollment was highly successful especially for the summer basketball camps. Unfortunately, the program was discontinued when he suffered a heart attack in November 2014. On the evening of November 28, 2014, he was rushed to a hospital unconscious after collapsing just minutes after coming out of a PBA Legends exhibition game at the Ynares Center in Pasig. According to fellow PBA great Nelson Asaytono, Lim was doing some stretching on the sideline shortly after being pulled out of the game by Legends coach

Bogs Adornado William "Bogs" Adornado (born May 26, 1951) is a Filipino professional basketball coach and former player. He is one of the Philippine Basketball Association's Greatest Players and was inducted to its Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a three-time ...

when he collapsed. He slipped into a coma and was first admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Medical City before he was later transferred to the intermediate care unit. On January 14, 2015, he slipped out of his comatose state and was brought home where he continued to receive treatment and therapy. Samboy's story became instrumental in the passage of the Samboy Lim Law, Republic Act 10871, or "The Basic Life Support Training in Schools Act". The Bill authored by Rep./Coach

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

in 2015, was filed in honor of Samboy. The law provides for basic life support training or CPR in high school in public and private schools. Years after that medical emergency, Samboy continued to receive round the clock 24-hour medical care and was constantly being attended to by a team of medical specialists/doctors, physical therapists, and private nurses. Lim died on December 23, 2023, at the age of 61. Colegio de San Juan de Letran, the National Colleagiate Athletic Association, and the Philippine Basketball Association all feted tributes to Lim. The Philippine Heart Association also gave tribute to Lim as he was the inspiration for the CPR law.

Career PBA highlights

*Member, PBA's 25 Greatest Players *2-time Mythical Second Team Selection (1990 and 1993) *First ever recipient of the Sportsmanship Award (1993) *5-time PBA All-Star (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996) *1990 PBA All-Star Game MVP (Scored 42 points) All-Star Team *PBA's 25 Greatest Player Award *PBA's 40 Greatest Player Award *PBA Hall of Fame Award, Class 2009 *9 Time Member – PBA Champion

San Miguel Beermen The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia ...

(1987 PBA Reinforced Conference, 1988 PBA Open Conference, 1988 PBA Reinforced Conference, 1989 PBA Open Conference, 1989 PBA All-Filipino Conference, 1989 PBA Reinforced Conference, 1992 PBA All-Filipino Conference, 1993 PBA Governors' Cup, 1994 All-Filipino Cup) *No. 9 retired by the

Other highlights

*MVP, 1982 ASEAN School Youth Championship *NCAA GRAND SLAM Team, 1982, 1983, and 1984, (

) *Most Valuable Player Award, 1983 Guam International Basketball Tournament (

) *NCAA MVP 1984 (

) *1990 Asian Games Mythical Five, also known as XI ASIAD or 11th Asian Games held in Beijing, China *Member, 1990 Asian Games (Silver Medal) *Member, 1986 Asian Games (Bronze Medal) *Member, Mythical Five (1990 Asian Games) Winning Championships: *NCAA Seniors Grandslam Team Letran, 1982, 1983, and 1984 *1983 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Champion, which was held in Singapore *1984 Brunei Invitational Basketball Tournament Champion (

) *1984 FIBA Asian Club Basketball Cup Champion NCC/San Miguel Philippines *1985 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Champion NCC/San Miguel Philippines, which was held in Thailand *1985 PBA Reinforced Conference Champion (Amateur Guest Team) NCC *1985 William Jones Cup International Basketball Champion NCC/San Miguel Philippines *1985 ABC Champion NCC, also known as FIBA Asia Cup Tournament in Malaysia *FIBA Asia Champion NCC/San Miguel Philippines, 1986 *PABL Champions Lhulliers Jewellers Team, 1986

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20130703145655/http://samboylim.net/
Samboy Lim Player Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Samboy 1962 births 2023 deaths Asian Games bronze medalists for the Philippines Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games silver medalists for the Philippines Basketball players at the 1986 Asian Games Basketball players at the 1990 Asian Games Basketball players from Manila Competitors at the 1983 SEA Games Competitors at the 1985 SEA Games Filipino men's basketball players Filipino people of Chinese descent Medalists at the 1986 Asian Games Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Letran Knights basketball players Sportspeople from Manila Sportspeople from Pasig Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippine Basketball Association players with retired numbers Philippines men's national basketball team players San Miguel Beermen players Shooting guards Small forwards SEA Games gold medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in basketball Tagalog people 20th-century Filipino sportsmen