T1 aren’t sleeping on potential roster moves in their League of Legends team, despite winning Worlds 2023 less than three days ago. On Nov. 21, the organization announced the return of legendary coach, kkOma.
As a result, T1 had to shift its coaching roster a bit. Sky and Roach left the squad, while Tom shifted from Interim Head Coach to Coach, according to Leaguepedia. This means kkOma has once again taken the mantle of Head Coach of the legendary team.
KkOma needs no introduction to competitive League fans. The Korean coach rose to popularity by leading Faker and SKT T1 to three World Championships in 2013, 2015, and 2016. By being so successful in these times, the 37-year-old made a name for himself as arguably the greatest coach to ever touch the game. He remained with SKT until the end of 2019. Afterward, kkOma joined Chinese Vici Gaming, though the squad turned out to be a flop. They didn’t qualify for playoffs once in the 2020 season, which propelled kkOma to return to South Korea, where he joined DWG KIA after they won Worlds 2020. In 2021, they reached both Mid-Season Invitational and Worlds finals, where they fell to Chinese Royal Never Give Up and EDwards Gaming, respectively.
The 37-year-old remained in DK in 2022 as an Athletic Director, before going on a break in 2023. Now, he’s back in competitive League under T1’s banner.
While T1 has already changed its coaching squad, many fans hope their roster remains the same and doesn’t split following their Worlds 2023 victory. Zeus, Gumayusi, and Keria’s contracts ended on Nov. 20, and it’s up to the players and the organization to renegotiate new terms if both parties intend to stay together.
