Serge Ibaka's identity: Understanding the “Samuel Soba” angle behind the Milwaukee Bucks forward

Back in 2017, Milwaukee Bucks forward Serge Ibaka was at the center of a conspiracy theory alleging that his true identity was actually “Samuel Soba.” The conspiracy also alleged that he had been using the name "Serge Ibaka" as an alter ego throughout his NBA career. Here is what happened:

From 2012 to 2016, Serge Ibaka was in a relationship with singer-songwriter Keri Hilson. Following their breakup, reports emerged that Hilson had been married since 2002, even while she was dating Ibaka. Hilson’s husband was allegedly a 5-foot-9 man named Samuel Soba from Ohio.

However, all public records of the mysterious spouse showed pictures of Ibaka’s face. Google searches of Hilson and Soba also brought up pictures of Hilson and Ibaka. Countless articles were then written about Soba using Ibaka’s picture. The articles even claimed that Soba and Hilson had a child together named Jayden.

This led many to believe that Ibaka was hiding his true identity.

All of these details were brought to the public's attention by a YouTube channel named “Andy Hoops,” in 2017. The channel also pointed out some major flaws in the conspiracy later in his video.

Ibaka was born on Sept. 18, 1989, in the Congo. So it would have been impossible for Ibaka to have been married since 2002 as he would have been only 13 at the time. Ibaka also reportedly didn't move from Africa to Europe until he was 17.

The YouTuber then explained that the only way it could be true is if Ibaka also lied about his age. He then pointed out that athletes from countries like the Congo have been known to fake their age. This is to be able to receive more opportunities in Europe and North America as scouts value younger prospects with more upside.

Andy Hoops also added that Ibaka reportedly has 17 siblings and that countries in Africa don't always keep track of birth records. So all things considered, many still believed that there was a fairly compelling case for the conspiracy theory.

Is Samuel Soba Serge Ibaka’s real name?

"The MYSTERIOUS Identity of Serge Ibaka"

According to another YouTube Channel named “Ball Talk,” the whole Samuel Soba-Serge Ibaka conspiracy is likely an out-of-control internet hoax.

The YouTuber pointed out multiple discrepancies in the various articles on Samuel Soba and Keri Hilson. These included different dates they got married, as well as contradicting reports about whether they actually had a child named Jayden together.

One article even referred to Soba as a female throughout the entirety of the article.

Ball Talk then revealed that the hoax was likely created by the website “Article Bio,” which published four seemingly fake articles on the alleged couple. The fake articles then gained traction on multiple news outlets and spread across the internet.

The channel added that this was likely done to generate extra web traffic for the site, but that there is no way to know for sure.

Based on all the discrepancies and confusion, it seems safe to say that Samuel Soba is not a real person. Likewise, it seems safe to say that both Hilson and Ibaka have never been married.

Also read: Giannis Antetokounmpo roasts Serge Ibaka over the phone: “You’re not an artist, you’re a role player, and a rebounder, and a screen setter”