TIME adds esports legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok to TIME100 Sports list

• Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, the legendary player part of T1 and renowned League of Legends star, was recognized for his exceptional achievements
• Faker became the only South Korean to appear on The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 list by TIME
• The esports legend joins the likes of Ronaldo, Messi and LeBron James, among others, who are also on the prestigious list

Renowned as the greatest League of Legends player in history, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, was recognized with one of the most prestigious honors.

On Tuesday, he appeared on The 2026 TIME100 Sports list, by the globally recognizable U.S. weekly news magazine TIME.

Accomplishment highlights Faker’s extensive career

Faker is the only South Korean to appear on the debut TIME100 Sports list, joining globally recognizable sports players.

Faker’s professional career dates back to 2013 when he started to play with his team, T1, formerly known as SK Telecom T1.

The 1996-born player quickly made a name from himself in professional play, considering that in his debut year, he helped his team win the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) title.

Then, between 2014 and 2017, Faker won five more LCK titles, as well as two MSI titles in 2016 and 2017.

Complementing this enormous success, Faker helped his team win two additional World Championships in 2015 and 2016, designating T1 as the first esports team to win back-to-back titles.

Later in his career, Sang-hyeok won several LCK titles between 2018 and 2022.

After that, Faker triumphed, winning the 2023, 2024 and 2025 World Championships, making T1 the first team to win three consecutive Championships.

With a record of six League of Legends World Championships with T1, Faker appeared on The 100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026 list by TIME.

Not only was he the only South Korean to make it to the prestigious list, but he was also designated as the first inductee into the Esports League of Legends Hall of Legends, an accomplishment that recognizes his exceptional success and extensive career.

TIME highlighted the expansion of esports in the last decades, citing data from Grand View Research, estimating the esports industry’s worth is expected to hit the mind-blowing $7.46bn by 2030.

"Faker has enjoyed the benefits of this explosion: T1 and BMW gifted him a luxury sedan for his 25th birthday, and he now owns an equity stake in his team, which has signed endorsement deals with Nike, Red Bull, Mercedes-Benz, and other brands," reads the announcement by TIME.

Appearing on the 2026 TIME100 Sports list, Faker joins the baseball player, Shohei Ohtani, the basketball icons, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, as well as football legends, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

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