Legendary player YellOwStaR throws the towel to his teammates and retires pro gaming

The most successful League of Legends player in the European and American League of Legends competitive scene has announced his retirement through former team organization Fnatic.

Bora “YellOwStaR” Kim was a French player that gained his popularity by mastering the Support role leading his teammates to winning 5 LCS titles and reaching 7 finals, as well as attending every single World Championship before 2016. YellOwStaR played for Fnatic for the majority of time spent as a pro player, and despite moving to Team SoloMid in 2015 after the Fnatic roster split he came back again in 2016.

YellOwStaR’s most notable achievement might be when he led a team of rookies all the way to the World semifinals, including scoring a perfect 18-0 regular season in the Summer. Great performance through his career made him rank 25th on the all-time earnings list for League of Legends, the highest ranked player from North America or Europe with $167,221.97 to his name.

The strain of years of lengthy days of practice, countless hours, and the pressure of competition have taken their toll. Kim said: “I’m now 24, and to be completely honest with you, I am feeling more and more exhausted after hours of playing, Everything has become more difficult to do for the last few months even though my inner motivation is still as strong as on the first day – that I can promise you.”

YellOwStaR considered retirement in each of the past two offseasons, but says his competitive drive has never wavered. But after this season, he feels he can’t maintain a level of play with which he’s comfortable. The 2016 year was especially dissapointing for YellOwStaR as Fnatic suffered through an upsetting season, failing to qualify for Worlds for the first time in his career.

You can watch the legend himself talking about his career in a video Fnatic released accompanying the announcement below. We will surely miss this talented man.