Smeb retires from professional League of Legends

The top laner missed one Worlds title in 2015 and grabbed two LCK titles.

Photo via Riot Games

Legendary top laner Smeb has retired from professional League of Legends at 25 years old, he announced today.

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“During my eight years as a professional gamer, there have been highs and lows, but standing at the moment of making a retirement decision, only the highs remain in my memory,” Smeb said. “I always pursued both small and big goals but my biggest and sincerest goal that made me who I am right now and helped me reach my goals was to make my fans happy. All the cheers I received from the fans was a big motivation and an energizer for me to never give up and to reach further.”

Related: Legendary Korean support GorillA retires

Smeb started his career in 2013 by joining Incredible Miracle and ended it on KT Rolster. Over the years, he competed in a total of 606 matches and grabbed over 350 wins.

He also competed in several World Championships, finishing the 2015 tournament as the runner-up with KOO Tigers. Smeb ended Worlds 2016 in the semifinals with the Tigers.

During his career, the top laner grabbed four regional titles in the LCK and won the KeSPA Cup in 2016 and 2017. In 2020, KT Rolster missed their shot at qualifying for the World Championship by losing to Afreeca Freecs in the Regional Finals.

“After retirement, I’ll be preparing for Chapter Two of my life, actively continuing my individual streaming,” Smeb said.

Over the last few months, numerous South Korean professional League players have announced their retirement, including former Tigers players GorillA and Kuro, as well as former world champion Crown.


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Eva Martinello
Eva is a Staff Writer from Paris. Her part-time job is charging into walls with Reinhardt. She has been covering League of Legends esports and other titles for six years. She still believes in a Moscow Five comeback. She also fell into the MMO pit and covers FFXIV and Genshin.