Faker named Best Esports Athlete for second straight year

Faker, a League of Legends star, won the best esports athlete award at The Game Awards for the second year in a row.

Korean esports star Lee ″Faker″ Sang-hyeok attends a global innovation conference hosted by the Korean Foreign Ministry in Jung District, central Seoul, on Nov. 20. [NEWS1]

Faker won best esports athlete of the year at The Game Awards for the second straight year.

The League of Legends mid-laner, whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, took the title at the annual ceremony's 10th iteration in Los Angeles on Thursday. His team, T1, won the award for best esports team of the year.

Faker led T1 to its second consecutive League of Legends World Championship victory last month. The victory was his fifth world championship after taking the crown in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023.

Earlier this year, Faker became the first inductee into the game's Hall of Legends. The induction recognized the 28-year-old's mastery of gameplay and contributions to the sport, according to League of Legends developer Riot Games.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]