Samboy Lim

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.

Avelino Borromeo Lim Jr. (April 1, 1962 – December 23, 2023), better known as Samboy "The Skywalker" Lim, was a Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association and many-time national player 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.

A five-time All-Star and two-time PBA Mythical Team selection, he did not however win a Most Valuable Player Award because he did not get to complete a full season due to the many injuries he sustained on the court.

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

After high school in San Beda, Samboy spent a year's residence at Letran before finally seeing action in the NCAA in 1982.

Even as a first-year varsity player for the Letran Knights, Samboy was already a vital cog of Letran's championship team.

He would have won the NCAA Most Valuable Player award if not for his teammate, Jerry Gonzales, whose late season push and heroics in Letran's last two games won him the coveted plum.

Samboy finally won the NCAA MVP trophy as he led the Knights to a grand slam, their third straight NCAA seniors’ championships from 1982 to 1984, under coach Larry Albano.

Lim was a consistent national team member.

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 on Game 2 to score 12 points, routing the Stags, then scored 20 points in the title-clinching Game 3.

His first stint with the national team was during the 1983 SEA Games in Singapore, where the Philippines retained the title.

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.

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, 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.

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 and Al Solis.

In September 1986, Lim was included in the line-up of the comebacking San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association, 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 led the San Miguel Beermen to 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 reckless abandon and coming up with acrobatic and unbelievable 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 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.

In 1993, he was awarded with the first ever sportsmanship award for his exemplary behavior on the court.

Lim retired from the PBA in 1997.

In 1998, he joined the Philippine Basketball League to play for the Welcoat House Paints in a guest appearance.

In 2000, he was named into the PBA's 25 Greatest Players.