A professional League of Legends player’s career is usually defined by their first team, since that decides how they begin their journey and the people they are surrounded by as they learn the ropes around one of the toughest scenes in esports.
One talented North American prospect has landed with one of the most prestigious teams in League history: T1. The iconic organization has signed Johnson “Gryffinn” Le to its Academy team, where he will practice and play alongside other trainees in the LCK Academy Series.
The 17-year-old jungler successfully joined T1 after going through tryouts this past summer, and was officially signed on Tuesday, Sept. 26. He will now be playing in Korea after spending the last year competing on various amateur teams to qualify for the 2023 LCS Proving Grounds tournament.
Meanwhile, the Academy program at T1 has already given the League esports scene multiple success stories, with players like top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je and jungler Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun rapidly rising the ranks, joining the starting lineup, and becoming LCK stars under the team’s guidance and tutelage. They have become essential parts of the roster, and will be key factors in T1’s run at this year’s World Championship.
The organization’s Academy team has also given North America a generational talent with Cloud9’s superstar AD carry Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol having moved on from the program in 2021 to join the LCS. Since then, the 20-year-old marksman has become one of the best players in the league, and the overall win condition for the storied franchise.
Ultimately, Gryffinn must make the most of the opportunity he has been given with T1. It is rare to see a North American talent find a home in such a top-tier organization, which should speak volumes to the level of potential that the team’s scouts must see in the young prospect.
Published: Oct 10, 2023 12:29 pm