Faker, the undeniably number one player in League of Legends, has disclosed that he turned down a $10 million dollar contract from an LPL team in order to continue staying and playing in Korea.
Appearing on Radio Star, one of the most popular shows on Korean television, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok talked about his contract, family and celebrity status. This is also the first time he has spoken publicly regarding his salary and being pursued by out-of-Korea teams.
The so-called “Unkillable Demon King” LoL player confirmed that he received multiple offers from Chinese and North American organizations, including a rumored $10 million dollar contract. What’s mind-blowing is that Faker said a North American team even offered him a blank check to write whatever number he wanted on it. Of course, he turned them all down to continue playing for T1 till now.
“Playing in Korea makes me feel more comfortable, being close to my family. The competition in the LCK is also interesting, and I really want to become a name that represents the Korean esports scene,” Faker said when asked why he remains in Korea despite all the attractive offers.
Faker also spoke about his salary at T1 for the first time. It was previously speculated that he receives up to 5 billion won (approximately 4.3 million USD) a year in salary on top of the 1 million dollars from prize money. However, he said that the information is incorrect but refused to disclose further due to his salary being a secret between himself and the company. Nonetheless, LoL fans understand that the real number is not far from the speculated one with all of his achievements and popularity.
Despite being one of the most well-paid esports players, the star mid laner revealed that he only spent roughly 170 US dollars a month. Faker also said that he will try his best to play until the age of 30 and only keep a part of his wealth for himself and his family. The rest will be used for charity. Faker is well-known for his contribution to charity, having donated 100% of his streaming revenue to the UN Foundation back in October 2018 and raising $62,000 for the Bahamas Relief Foundation.
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