| Faker | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Faker_2020_interview.jpg) Faker in 2020 | |
| Current team | |
| Team | T1 |
| Role | Mid |
| Game | League of Legends |
| League | LCK |
| Personal information | |
| Name | 이상혁 (Lee Sang-hyeok) |
| Nickname(s) | Unkillable Demon King[a] |
| Born | May 7, 1996 Seoul, South Korea |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 2013–present |
| Team history | |
| 2013–present | T1[b] |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Medal record | |
| Signature | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Faker_autograph.svg) | |
Lee Sang-hyeok (Korean: 이상혁; born May 7, 1996), better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player for T1. He gained prominence after joining SK Telecom T1 (now T1) in 2013, where he has since played as the team's mid-laner. Throughout his career, he has secured a record of 10 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) titles, two Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) titles, and a record five World Championship titles. Faker is widely regarded as the greatest League of Legends player in history and has drawn comparison analogizing him to basketball player Michael Jordan for his esports success.
Originally from Gangseo District, Seoul, Faker was signed by SKT in 2013, and quickly established himself as one of the league's top players. In his debut year, he achieved both an LCK title and a World Championship victory with SKT. From 2014 to 2017, Faker added five more LCK titles to his name, along with two MSI titles in 2016 and 2017, and two additional World Championships in 2015 and 2016. During this time, he also emerged victorious in the All-Star Paris 2014 and the IEM World Championship in 2016. Between 2019 and 2022, Faker secured four more LCK titles, becoming the first player to reach a total of 10. He also represented the South Korean national team at the 2018 Asian Games, earning a silver medal, and the 2022 Asian Games, earning a gold.
Faker's individual achievements include accolades such as two World Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, an MSI MVP award, two LCK season MVP awards, an LCK Finals MVP award, an LCK Player of the Year award, an LCK Mid Laner of the Year award, and two LCK First All-Pro Team designations. He holds several LCK records, including being the first player to reach 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 kills, the first to have earned 5,000 assists, the first to have played 900 games, and the first to have won 600 games in the LCK. Faker also holds the record for the most kills in World Championship matches and was the first player to surpass 100 World Championship wins. His accomplishments have earned him recognition as the Best Esports Athlete at The Game Awards in 2017 and 2023, PC Player of the Year at the Esports Awards in 2023 and 2024, and he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Asia Entertainment & Sports in 2019. Additionally, he was inducted into the ESL Hall of Fame in the same year. He was also chosen as the inaugural inductee for the LoL Esports Hall of Legends, being officially announced by Riot Games in May 2024.
Faker is one of the most marketed esports figures, appearing in numerous commercials and talk shows. In 2020, he became a part-owner and executive of T1 Entertainment & Sports. His annual salary, as of 2020, was estimated by the Olympics to be nearly US$5 million.[1]
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- ^ Binner, Andrew (July 27, 2020). "Meet eSports phenom Lee Sang-hyeok – The Ronaldo of gaming". Olympics. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.