As Madonna is about to turn 65, who is Samboy Lim and what are the rumours around him and the icon?

Madonna has of course been romantically linked to many men over the years, notable examples, of course, include her husbands Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie, Warren Beatty and even John F. Kennedy Jr, but how about Samboy Lim?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Samboy Lim, his real name is Avelino Borromeo Lim Jr. but is better known as Samboy ‘The Skywalker’ Lim. He is a retired Filipino basketball ball player, who was born in 1962.

Nine years ago, Samboy Lim fell into a comatose state after suffering a cardiac arrest whilst he was watching an exhibition game in the Philippine Basketball Association. The website Manila Standard reported in January of this year that “Basketball legend Samboy Lim is slowly getting into full recovery.”

But his name is now becoming synonymous with an online rumour that one Queen of Pop, Madonna, may have actually had a relationship with the basketball player (it wouldn't be a first - Dennis Rodman, anyone?), but given the media's tendency to report on the mere speculation Madonna was seeing someone during the height of her fame/infamy, why wasn't this one report?

PeopleWorld takes a look at the murky online rumours surrounding Samboy Lim, Madonna and if indeed they did have a tryst, or if it is pure fantasy from the deepest, darkest recesses of the internet.

How is Samboy Lim connected to Madonna and did they have a relationship?

There is a lot of speculation about Madonna and Samboy Lim having a more than ‘platonic’ connection. It has been reported that the couple had a romantic encounter that took place in Madonna’s dressing room backstage when she performed in the Philippines in the 1980s. 

Madonna is also believed to have extended her stay in Manila for another week after the alleged ‘romantic encounter’ took place between herself and Samboy. It was even suggested that the couple continued their relationship after she returned to the United States. 

Any suggestion of a possible romance between Madonna and Samboy has been confirmed by either of them. 

But what makes the story implausible is the timeline of events; Madonna never performed in the Philippines in the 1980s, according to Concert Archive, and much ado was made when she first performed in Manilla in 2016. At that stage, Lim was still recovering from his near-death experience.

Instead, this looks to be a tale shared on message boards and forums dating back to the early millennium, based on a mondegreen from "Material Girl" where the lyrics "some boys kiss me, some boys hug me" became "Samboy kiss me, Samboy hug me" as a play on the lyrics. However, things on the internet have a tendency to last forever and sometimes make a comeback close to a special occasion.

Say, Madonna turning 65 tomorrow (August 16 2023) for example.