Faker is the most dominant League of Legends player of all time. One doesn't earn the nickname "Unkillable Demon King" without reason, right? So, throughout his long career how much has he earned? Let's check out Faker's net worth.
Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, is the most famous LoL esports player in the world. There is a good reason for that! He has been performing at the highest level for as long as nobody else has. In 2023, he and his T1 squad are back at the League of Legends World Championship. No matter if they will win the trophy or not, Fakers legacy in esports is already set into stone.
No other player is as successful as Faker. What does that mean? There is probably no one who has taken home so much prize money and signed contracts as big as Faker has. How much money will it sum up to in the end? We've made some estimates.
Faker Net Worth: What Is It In 2023?
Firstly, there is the prize money. The esports-wiki Liquipedia has put up an estimate for a lot of the world's most well-known League of Legends players. Faker is sitting at just under 1.5 million US dollar in approximate winnings! I mean, of course, winning the World Championship three times already pays off massively!
Just to compare him to some other LoL esports legends: NA mid laner Bjergsen is estimated to have earned just under 270,000 USD over the course of his career. If we look to the LEC, there is Caps with just over 600,000 USD, about the same earnings as LPL legend Uzi. So that alone seems to put Faker on top of everyone else. Just stop and think for a moment – who else could've amassed more prize money than Faker? He is the most successful player in LCK and Worlds history, and he has enjoyed an incredibly consistent and long-lived career.
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Faker's Net Worth: Money Earned Through Contracts
Well, as you might imagine – prize money is only a share of a professional athlete's earnings. Pretty much all of them are contractually tied to an organization, especially in team sports. Faker is no exception! He has been part of T1, formerly known as SK Telecom T1, since 2013. The South Korean web portal Naver has covered the most recent contract Faker signed with T1, and the estimated salary that comes with it.
In 2021, Faker's salary consisted of a base salary and additional performance bonuses. His base salary was set at 2.1 million USD, whereas his performance bonuses could've brought up the total to over 3.8 million USD in 2021. Hold on, though, this is 2021 we're talking about! His salary for 2022 sat even higher: 5.2 million USD in total salary.
Faker Signs New Contract Ahead of 2023 LCK Spring Split
After the 2022 Season and a tough loss in the Worlds Finals, Faker's future seemed uncertain. He was already one of the oldest active players in the LCK, and many fans felt like this might be the end of his great career.
Despite all worries, Faker proved his dedication to his team and League of Legends esports by signing a new, 3-year-deal with T1 before the start of the 2023 Season. This means he will play for the team until the end of the 2025 Season, by which point he will be 29 years old.
He won't have to fear any interruptions, either, since he was granted an exemption from military service due to the fact he won the Asian Games 2023 LoL tournament with the South Korean national team.
Faker: Total Net Worth Estimation
No doubt, the most successful player being part of the most successful team in League of Legends history attracts a lot of possible sponsors. T1 itself is owned by the South Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom and the American sports and entertainment company Comcast Spectator.
It is rumored that a large part of Faker's salary is already covered by SK Telecom. What does that leave? Well, it looks like Faker has got a partnership with a well-known Bavarian car manufacturer:
— T1 Faker (@faker) April 19, 2022
Mine #BMW #UnitedInRivalry @BMWEsports @BMW pic.twitter.com/5tHk0K5vi6
Just take a look at the team gear of T1: Of course BMW, but also other multi-billion dollar companies like Red Bull, Samsung, and Nike. There are most likely also an abundant number of individual partnerships that Faker has been a part of over the course of his career, too many to count for us.
So, what is Faker's actual net worth in 2023? There is no exact number for that, but we can put up a good estimate: Faker's net worth is estimated to be at least 25 million USD. That is, if we count everything together. But there is also his shares in T1 Entertainment & Sports.
There are no reliable sources as to how many shares Faker holds, or how much the company is valued at. In 2020, T1 has invested over 11 million USD into Mobalytics, so there is definitely quite some value behind that company.
Reading these sums, you could think that Faker sits in his big mansion, counting his banknotes all day. Far from it! Faker himself and people close to him have portrayed him as a very modest and frugal person. This is most likely because of his humble upbringings, as his family was far from wealthy during his childhood.
Honestly, this makes me like him even more. The best of his craft, but still a down to earth person. Let's just hope he'll amaze us on the LCK and Worlds stage for years to come!
Read more about the world of League of Legends Esports:
- LoL Worlds 2023: Starting Date, Schedule, Teams & More
- LoL World Championship Pick'Em Explained
- LoL Worlds Anthem 2023: Riot And NewJeans Get Everyone Hyped