SK Telecom T1 mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is the best League of Legends player in the world. He also might be the most frugal.
In an interview with OSEN’s Go Yong-jun that took place before the League of Legends World Championship, Faker spoke about how he deals with his finances — or, perhaps more appropriately, how he doesn’t deal with them.
“Other than the first year of my career, my parents take care of my financials,” he said. “I don’t go over 200,000 won ($178) for my monthly allowance. The team takes care of a lot of things, which makes me think that I’ve chosen the right career path. The books I like are often gifted to me by fans. There’s not a lot I need to spend on.”
As the most valuable player for League of Legends in Korea, Faker’s yearly pay has been a hot topic of discussion every time his contract comes to an end. It was reported to be $2.5 million this year, but the concrete figure has never been made public.
Faker has always seemed conservative with his money. In a December interview with Sports Chosun, he said he didn’t have any reason to spend extravagantly, as his most notable purchase was an apartment for his family.
On the topic of his love life, Faker said he fields questions about it from many people. He also said he’s in no hurry.
“I’m often asked if I have a love life, but the same can be said for friends of the opposite sex,” he said. “I have rather conventional preferences, but my ideal type keeps changing. I might need a girlfriend right about now, but I don’t mind not having one either.”
With a name forever bound to League of Legends, Faker also divulged how he came up with his summoner name and the thought process behind all of his nicknames he thought to this point.
“I usually put a lot of thought into my in-game ID. I think I used the ID 고전파 (which translates to “classical”) when I was an amateur,” he said. “The same goes for when I went pro. I wanted to have something cool and impactful rather than a regular word. It’s another name that I identify with. I wanted it to be cool from start to end, and ‘Faker’ was the name I came up with to really show who I am.”