Esports legend Faker signs 4-year contract extension with T1

Korean esports legend Faker, 29, has signed a four-year contract extension with T1, the team announced on Sunday."Faker will remain with T1 through 2029," T1 said after its League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) home game against Nongshim RedForce at Inspire Arena in Incheon. Faker led the team to a 2-0 victory and became the first player in LCK history to reach 3,500 kills during the game.Faker, a player born in 1996whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, debuted as a professional gamer in 2013 with SK Telecom T1, now called T1, and has played exclusively as the team’s mid laner for 12 consecutive years.Known for his elusive and dazzling play style, he has won the League of Legends World Championship five times and earned a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.His reputation has earned him nicknames like “the Lionel Messi of esports” and “the unkillable demon king.”He is often referred to as “a star among stars” and has also met with Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, a Challenger-tier League of Legends (LoL) player, during the football off-season.Recognizing his accomplishments, Riot Games named Faker the inaugural inductee into the League of Legends Hall of Legends, which was established last year.Faker previously signed a three-year contract extension with T1 in late 2022, committing to the team until the end of 2025.Most professional gamers retire around 25, when reflexes begin to decline. But Faker has maintained a world-class level for over a decade and can now compete until at least age 33.T1 has delivered convincing results this season, during which the team beat other top teams such as Gen.G and DRX and earned Korea's second seed at Mid-Season Invitational 2025 — one of the biggest international tournaments in LoL.BY PARK RIN [ [email protected]

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