Lim Eng Beng
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 10, 1951 Tondo, Manila |
| Nationality | Filipino / Chinese |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chiang Kai Shek College |
| College | De La Salle University |
| Pro career | 1975–1986 |
| Position | Point guard / Shooting guard |
| Number | 14 |
| Career history | |
| 1975 | Concepcion-Carrier |
| 1976–1982 | U/Tex Wranglers |
| 1983 | San Miguel Beermen |
| 1984 | Crispa Redmanizers |
| 1985 | Shell Azodrin Bugbusters |
| 1986 | Manila Beer Brewmasters |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lim Eng Beng (林嚶鳴) (born November 10, 1951), is a retired Filipino-Chinese professional basketball player who spent twelve seasons in the PBA from 1975-1986.
Early life
Lim was born and raised in Tondo, Manila from a very poor family. When he was 5 or 6 years old, his family stayed in a squatter’s area.
Collegiate career
Lim played four years with the De La Salle Green Archers from 1971-1974. In his rookie year, the Green Archers, then led by himself and Mike Bilbao, won an NCAA championship which was their first time in 15 years. It actually signaled the arrival of the deadly scorer who could singlehandedly change the complexion of a game.
By the time that he was a junior in 1973, he was already getting various offers from teams in the professional league; however, he opted to stay for one more year upon the proddings of the late Br. Gabriel Connon, promising that he would be getting something special in return. So for one last time, he suited up for the Archers, and in his senior year, he averaged 32 points per outing in the 1974 season and set a single game record for the most points, which is 55 - a record which stood the test of time. He was adjudged the Most Popular NCAA Player, was cast into the Mythical Five, received the Sportsmanship Award and ultimately won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. To cap his stellar collegiate career, he steered the squad to the championship.
As a reward for winning the championship, Br. Connon declared that his #14 jersey would be retired up to DLSU rafters. He was later inducted into the DLSU's Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.[1]
He also mentioned that he never missed a free throw during his college career.[2]
Professional career
Right after playing for La Salle, Lim easily got drafted in the PBA, suiting up for Concepcion-Carrer in 1975. He also played for U-Tex Wranglers, San Miguel, Crispa, Shell, and Manila Beer.
Career highlights
- Joined the Concepcion Industries during the birth of the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) in 1975
- Member, Mythical 5 in 1975
- Joined the U/Tex Wranglers in 1976
- Second place in 1977 season
- Champion team in 1978 season.
- Mythical 5 in 1978 season
- Second place in 1979 season
- Champion team in 1980 season with a Sportsmanship Award
- Awarded 5,000 points in 1982 season
- Joined San Miguel Corporation team in 1983
- Joined the Crispa Redmanizers in 1984
- Joined Shell in 1985 and was awarded for being in the PBA for ten (10) years
- Joined Manila Beer in 1986 season
- Joined PBL (Philippine Amateur Basketball League) in 1988 for AGFA colors as player and coach until 1990
Playing with the Chinese-Filipino Community
Lim started playing for a Chinese Filipino high school team (now known as Chiang Kai Shek College) in Manila in 1968. With the help of his elder brother, he was recruited to the high school varsity squad where he led the team three consecutive championships. His team often travelled to Taipei, Taiwan each year to play for an invitational basketball tournament, where his shooting skills earned him great reputation among the Taiwanese youth. During his senior year after leading his school team to the championships for the third consecutive year, he was awarded the Most Outstanding Varsity Player by the school principal.
He joined China Bank in Manila, in 1970, to play in the Inter-bank tournament and won the championship trophy.
In 1975, when he started playing in the newly created PBA (Philippine Basketball Association), the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce quickly awarded him as one of the four Most Outstanding Youth in the Chinese-Filipino community.
Continually playing in professional basketball from 1975 to 1986, he was among one of the few elite Chinese-Filipino athletes in the Philippines to be recognized as a superstar athlete and have inspired many youths to follow his footsteps.
In 1989, the Chiang Kai Shek Alumni Association awarded him a plaque of appreciation for the Most Outstanding Player representing the Philippines in International Tournaments. From 1990 to 1999, he played as playing coach for his Batch 31 basketball team.
From 1997 to 2001, he represented the PCFBL (Philippine Chinese Filipino Basketball League), as playing coach in the World Chinese Basketball Tournament and in the ASEAN Chinese Basketball League. Following are his and his team's accomplishments:
World Chinese Basketball Tournament:
Year 1997- 3rd placer held in Thailand Year 1998- 5th placer held in Beijing, China Year 1999- 2nd placer held in Malaysia Year 2000- Champions held in Sydney, Australia Year 2001- 3rd placer held in Thailand
ASEAN Chinese Basketball League:
Year 2000- Champions held in Thailand Year 2001- Champions held in Singapore Year 2002-2nd placer held in Indonesia
Retirement and Later Life
Lim was included as one of the 25 Greatest Players in PBA History, during the PBA's silver anniversary celebration on April 9, 2000.
In January 2013, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 liver cancer.[3] On top of this, he's already suffering liver cirrhosis, and was only given three years to live.[4]
On November 17, 2013, during the opening ceremonies of the 2013-14 PBA season, he was enshrined into the Hall of Fame, along with Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, and the late Ed Ocampo.[5]
References
- ↑ Buenviaje, Min. "LIM ENG BENG: THE NUMBERS CAN’T DO ALL THE TALKING". www.thelasallian.com. The Lasallian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Evangelista, Patricia. "GLORY DAYS". www.rappler.com. Rappler. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "Basketball legend Lim Eng Beng battling liver cancer". www.interaksyon.com. InterAksyon. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Henson, Joaquin. "Cancer won’t dampen Beng’s spirit". www.philstar.com. Philippine Star. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Ramos, Gerry. "Even in Hall of Fame, high school pals Magsanoc and Paras still inseparable". www.spin.ph. SPIN.ph. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
External links
- Lim Eng Beng and Mrs. Angelina Martinez: http://greenarcher.net/?q=node/30
- The Best Green Archer Ever: http://greenarcher.net/?q=node/20
| Preceded by Freddie Hubalde |
NCAA Seniors' Basketball Most Valuable Player 1974 |
Succeeded by Alex Marquez |
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