T1 kkOma: "We have the best players in the world. I feel extremely lucky to be part of this team"

Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun, head coach of T1 at Worlds 2024, South Korean and reigning World Champions.

"Confidence is everything, but BLG is a very strong team. We'll have to prepare well and stay focused even after our win against Gen.G"

Despite all odds, T1 have once again cemented their place at the top, advancing to the League of Legends 2024 World Championship Grand Finals after defeating Gen.G 3-1. Though many doubted them and T1 nearly failed to qualify for the championship, the reigning world champions have proven they are not to be underestimated, boasting a record of 10 wins and only 2 losses in the tournament. In this exclusive interview with Sheep Esports, legendary head coach kkOma discusses his return to T1, his expectations for the finals, his personal growth over the years, and the team's coaching structure.

What motivated you to return to T1 this year? How do you maintain the drive to keep competing and winning after achieving so much success?

Kim "kkOma" Jeong-gyun: "I've been in the scene for many years, and although I have worked many years in T1 before, I felt a strong desire to rejoin and be able to re-experience the same environment again, so I came back to T1. I think I mentioned it in my return announcement, but I also really wanted to work with Faker again; he was a big motivation for me to rejoin.

You scouted Faker and brought him into T1 when he was known as GoJeonPa and mainly played normal games. How does it feel to see him today, celebrated by crowds and regarded as the greatest League player of all time—someone you’ve mentored and shaped over the years?

kkOma: In my mind, Faker is an amazing player, and I don't want to credit his success to myself. I think he would have been a great player in any given circumstances. He's a player who can do anything well.

After a challenging year, especially during the summer split when many people doubted T1 and shifted their support to Gen.G, how does it feel to prove the skeptics wrong and bring fans back to the "way of T1"?

kkOma: I don't tend to listen to our critics and doubters. Long seasons like these will be characterized by plenty of victories and losses, and it's really a matter of showing up at the right time and learning from mistakes. Some people may have considered us underdogs due to our past record, but we always had the confidence that we could win our way back up.

kkOma speaks with our reporter Armand after the victory. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

Now heading into the Grand Finals against BLG, with a mixed history of results against them this year, notably a loss at MSI (2-3) and a later win in the middle of summer (2-1), how does it feel to face them again, and do you feel confident about this matchup?

kkOma: Confidence is everything. BLG is a very strong team, so I do think that either team could win it. We'll have to prepare well and stay focused even after our win against Gen.G. Player conditions matter a lot, so we have to keep practicing as hard as we did so far and try our best in the finals.

T1 is the only organization to win Worlds back-to-back, but this year, you have the chance to make history as the first roster to do so without a single roster change. Would you consider the ZOFGK lineup to be one of the greatest of all time because of it?

kkOma: Obviously, as it is our players, I believe that we have the best players in the world, along with the best roster. I can't really envision winning another back-to-back championship yet, as we still have a big task ahead. I feel extremely lucky to be part of this team.

With many talking about this as the "last dance" for this roster, especially if you win against BLG in the finals, what are the chances we’ll see the ZOFGK lineup return next year?

kkOma: That's a hard question. I can't answer it right before the finals, sorry.

Oner, Roach, and kkOma, after beating Gen.G. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

I found a description of you on Wikipedia saying, "kkOma is widely considered the greatest coach in League of Legends history, known for his strict coaching style and talent for developing rookies." Do you agree with this assessment?

kkOma: As time goes by, I feel like I've changed a lot as a person and coach. There are good things you have to keep up and bad habits you have to give up. Back in my early days, I definitely think that I was much more of a strict coach and valued discipline greatly. So yes, I was strict back then, but I've been working on becoming more open-minded throughout the years and acting more gently with my players as well. There are obviously still situations in which I have to be strict, but since our players are as great as they are, I try to give them more freedom and leeway to do what they feel is right and work around that instead.

Do you also agree with being called the greatest coach of all time?

kkOma: If you asked me this question in the past, I would have said, "Of course, I'm the best," but now that I've been in the scene for such a long time, I don't really try to pretend to be the best coach ever or care about these opinions. I just focus on giving the best performance possible and winning for our team.

I find T1’s coaching dynamics interesting, as you aren’t the on-stage coach during drafts, with Roach and Tom taking that role. Could you explain how the coaching structure works within T1?

kkOma: Tom and Roach were integral to T1's victory last year before my return. I feel that both our coaches and players played a large part in securing the championship back then, so this year, I wanted to preserve the same magic as much as possible and let them work as they did back then. Our staff are very capable, and I think this is the best option for our coaching dynamic. Of course, if there are issues, I'll be there to talk to them and try to fix things, but I trust them. I would like to emphasize again that I feel extremely lucky to be part of such a talented roster, from the players to the staff.

Do you have a message for T1 fans as we wrap up?

kkOma: I said this earlier in the season: whether we've been in good or bad form, I'm really grateful to all the fans that have kept supporting us. The fans mean a lot to us. We'll show our best performance to keep the smiles of fans going and try to win it. Please support us until the end."

Header Photo Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games