Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun provided some insight on his return to League of Legends team T1 in an interview on Nov. 23. He said he chose T1 over an LPL team because he “had a great desire to work at T1 for 10 years” and didn’t see money as a priority.
In an interview with Korean outlet Naver, the head coach said he received the offer when the team was still competing in the World Championship. “Next year’s roster wasn’t confirmed but I didn’t think that long and signed the contract,” he said according to a translation on Reddit.
KkOma explained salary wasn’t a criterion at all when choosing to sign with T1, and that he signed before knowing what the definitive roster would be for the next season. “I had a great desire to work at T1 for 10 years. I want to share the happiness, sadness, and all twists and turns with T1 fans during that time. I also wanted to spend 10 years with Faker.” he said.
The world-renowned head coach led T1 from 2013 to 2019. Over that period, the team won the World Championship three times. He also led the squad to eight LCK titles.
In 2019, the coach moved on to a new chapter in his career and joined the LPL’s Vici Gaming for a season. He returned to South Korea in 2020 as DAMWON’s head coach, winning several LCK titles and finishing second in both the Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds over a one-season stint.
He’s now returning to T1 after a break. Ahead of signing with the organization, kkOma coached Korea’s League team at the Hangzhou Asian Games—and won the gold medal.
T1 will head into the 2024 season with massive expectations on their shoulders after claiming their fourth Worlds trophy this year.
Published: Nov 24, 2023 03:32 am