Written by: Giorgia Ocampo Danga / Graphics by: Clarence Abiera / Photos by: Svenson
If you’ve never heard about him before, ask how your titos and titas fanned over this 6-footer heartthrob as he collected championships during his days. If you’re still not convinced, try Googling “Vince Hizon” and see his long list of credentials, including his off-the-charts marriage proposal to now-wife Patricia Bermudez during a live basketball halftime break!
Basketball superstar. Happily married with 2 kids. Philanthropist.
At age 47, you can say retired Ginebra star player Vince “The Prince” Hizon has it all figured out. Indeed, he has proven himself and inspired so many, especially young men, with the life he built.
If you’re a young man in your 20s just starting to build your empire, his takes on how to shoot and score in the hardcourt called life may be good to keep in mind.
On Fitness: “Staying in good shape starts when you’re young.”
“I always think that staying in good shape starts when you’re young. Teaching kids to be active will translate into being active adults. And once you’re adults, there’s the challenge because your body changes. Now that I’m 47, I’m doing a lot more non-impact or low-impact (workouts), so more swimming, biking, walking.”
“You know, I just try to stay as active as possible, and it doesn’t take too much effort because what I do first thing in the morning is I reach for my bible, then I do my little workout, and then I’m ready to go. And I’m telling little because I don’t do much. I may be doing like 1 or 2 sets of push-ups, maybe 1 or 2 sets of core work, and then I go. It’s easy, and you’ll feel energized. What’s weird about the body is you would think the more you rest the more energy you have. Pero baliktad ‘yon. The more you workout, the more energy you’ll have. So the days I feel the most sluggish are the days that I gotta do something.”
On Looking Good: “You wanna make sure you’re clean, and you have good hygiene.”
“Of course you wanna make sure you’re clean, and you have good hygiene, it’s always a plus.”
“Of course, being with Svenson has been such a blessing, because not only did they get me to have one of their treatments, the FUE hair transplant, which was a really good decision by the way; they also offer facials, which I have never done. I had my first one 3 weeks ago- highly recommended! I used to think it was a girly thing and I didn’t want anyone to find me doing it but i did it once and I was like… I’ll do this again. Cool. I thought it was just gonna be about cucumbers and cream, but they have lasers, electric stim… they really do a good job.”
“And because I’m outdoors a lot I mostly use sunscreen and a little bit of moisturizer after.”
On Career: “Find what you enjoy, and then you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
“For me, it’s again very simple. Find what you enjoy, and then you’ll never have to work a day in your life. The best tip I can give to most people is find that. And then, just do it. Do it. Work hard. Make it not just a thought but more of a goal, and make your passion come out.”
“Much better chance of finding success if you love it, you like doing it, and it’s not just doing it today and then doing it the next Thursday. Do it everyday and it becomes part of you.”
On Money management: “You got to think 5, 10, 20 years.”
“I remember an article by one of these magazines. They asked all of the rookies on what they would do with their first paycheck- around 25 of them, some of them said buy a new stereo, buy a bed, car, house. And out of all 25, I’m the only one that said ‘I’m gonna put my money in the bank’. It’s not that I don’t value buying cool things, of course, for me it’s nice if you got extra income but you gotta make sure you prepare for your future.”
“I think that’s something I always have had. I was very fortunate because my parents were very frugal, they taught us how to prioritize certain things. Of course family first, and all the other things can follow after. You got to think 5, 10, 20 years. I knew basketball was very a “limited window”. The career lifespan of players is very short. I was fortunate I got to play double digit years but a lot of people don’t and they sit there and say ‘the checks stopped, now what?’. I think that helped me a lot. I got to invest pretty wisely.
On Dating: “Find the one…”
“Find the one that God meant for you – God’s best!”
His message to millennials
“Well, things are a lot different now, you know technology… there’s so many distractions, there’s a lot more challenges I think for kids and adults growing up now that we just didn’t have. I think the best is to stay as simple as possible. I guess the big thing is to find your purpose and see what you’re really meant to be. You need to find something greater and try to finally realize what it is.”
