Faker (gamer)

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 four 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 a World Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, 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 700 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 has earned him recognition as the Best Esports Player at The Game Awards in 2017 and 2023, and he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Asia Entertainment & Sports in 2019. Additionally, he was inducted into the Esports Hall of Fame in the same year.

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.