Lee Sang-hyeok (Korean: 이상혁; born May 7, 1996), better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player. Debuting in 2013, he has played as the mid-laner for T1 (formerly SK Telecom T1) for his entire career. He has won a record 10 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) titles, two Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) titles, and a record six World Championship titles. Faker is widely regarded as the greatest League of Legends player in history, and has been compared to basketball player Michael Jordan for his esports success. Originally from Gangseo District, Seoul, Faker established an early reputation as a dominant solo queue player before being signed by SKT in 2013 at the age of 17. In his debut year he won an LCK title and the World Championship. From 2014 to 2017, he won five further LCK titles, two MSI titles, and two additional World Championship titles. From 2018 to 2022, he won four more LCK titles but did not win another major international championship. He won the 2023, 2024 and 2025 World Championships, making him the first player to win three consecutive Worlds titles. He represented the South Korean national team at the 2018, 2022 and 2026 Asian Games, earning a silver and two gold medals respectively. Faker's individual achievements include accolades such as two World Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, an MSI MVP award, and two LCK Player of the Year awards. He holds several LCK records, including being the first player to reach 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 kills, the first to reach 5,000 assists, and the first to have won 700 games. His accomplishments have earned him recognition as the Best Esports Athlete and PC Player of the Year at The Game Awards, and he was named PC Player of the Decade by the Esports Awards in 2025. He was listed among the Time 100 Most Influential People in Sports in 2026. He was inducted into the ESL Esports Hall of Fame in 2019, and in May 2024, Riot Games announced him as the inaugural inductee for the LoL Esports Hall of Legends. Faker is a marketing and media figure for esports, appearing in commercials for major brands and on television 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.
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