More than just a celebrated athlete, Chris Tiu is a multimedia personality who devotes his energies to varied interests and personal advocacies.

A household name long before he turned professional this year, the basketball superstar, who first captured the public’s imagination by leading the Ateneo Blue Eagles to a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) championship, is also a popular TV host, product endorser, entrepreneur, civil servant and youth ambassador.

Many hats on and off the court
As a basketball player, Tiu draws inspiration from two basketball legends. “I am inspired by what Michael Jordan has achieved through his talent, competitiveness and athleticism. He is my all-time favorite player. I also look up to Steve Nash’s leadership on and off the court. He is an exceptionally intelligent player who makes his teammates become better players when around him.” Being self-giving and very active in charity work, his behavior off the court is equally admirable.

As an entrepreneur who manages his own refreshing drinks franchise, Happy Lemon, Tiu feels fortunate to have his high school friends in Xavier School as his business partners. As with his other business interests (he also has other restaurant franchises and an IT/advertising company), he believes that proper management is the key to a successful enterprise—giving importance to the people involved in your business (both customers and employees), being mindful of their needs and always motivating them.

As a civil servant, Tiu is paying it forward by using his athletic background to promote an active and healthy lifestyle. He is currently a Barangay Kagawad heading the Sports and Education committee.

Naturally, as someone who’s very recognizable wherever he goes, he wisely uses his celebrity status to promote worthy causes such as Habitat for Humanity, World Vision, Go Negosyo, Project Pagsulong and Pilipinas ECO-Warriors, among others. He also sees to it that his TV programs promote other advocacies like sports, entrepreneurship and science.

With all of these activities taking a good chunk of his time, Tiu has been chosen to endorse Vitamin C brand Poten-Cee Forte, which he says helps him to ensure that his body is well-protected against sickness that can be brought about by the stress and fatigue that he encounters every day.

“I have basketball training every morning. After that, my schedule varies—I sometimes go around inspecting Happy Lemon stores, attending business meetings, giving talks and attending events. About once a week, I have tapings for my show on GMA7 called iBilib and my segment in AKTV called 1-on-1 Tiutorials,” he narrates.

To keep up with these rigorous demands, Tiu makes sure that he leads a healthy lifestyle.

Chris and the PBA
Since he is now a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player, Tiu also knows that he’s playing a different and more competitive game with heavier physical demands. “I treat each game like it’s my last game—like a championship. This is definitely not just a job for me. The very reason I’m still playing basketball is because I want to compete and I want to show the fans what I can do in the court despite the risks involved,” he says.

Tiu has taken on the mindset that every goal he wants to achieve, whether in the playing court or life in general, is achievable.

“I have a responsibility, not just to all PBA fans but, to the youth who look up to me as a role model. That’s why I try my best to become the best player I can be and share my God-given talent through the game of basketball. I am also trying my best to give back by being active in my advocacies and visiting schools to share a few of my experiences. From all these, I have also learned a lot over the years. In a way, I believe this is my mission.”