Did you know Magic Johnson owns an esports team? In fairness, Magic Johnson owns a lot of things but an esports team is one of them. Johnson is a primary investor in aXiomatic, the majority owner of esports giant Team Liquid. Johnson previously shouted out the org’s CS:GO team after they won the $1M Intel Grand Slam. However, this time Johnson’s praise was for their League of Legends squad.
Liquid’s mostly Korean-speaking lineup finished third in the recent LCS Summer split. That earned them automatic qualification for the Swiss Stage of Worlds 2023, which begins in Korea in October. It was a major bounce-back for a squad that finished 8th during the Spring Split. Furthermore, the result marks their return to Worlds after they failed to qualify in 2022. “Proud of how far @TeamLiquidLoL came this #LCS split, and now eyes on Worlds 2023! #LetsGoLiquid,” Johnson wrote on Twitter.
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Team Liquid An Intriguing Prospect At Worlds 2023
Proud of how far @TeamLiquidLoL came this #LCS split, and now eyes on Worlds 2023! #LetsGoLiquid https://t.co/ZTM3Cte6Eh — Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) August 23, 2023
Of all the North American teams at Worlds this year, Team Liquid might be the most interesting. The organization was very transparent about building an all-Korean team within the North American league’s limit on the number of imported players. They brought in a 2022 World champion in Pyosik as well as the likes of Summit in the top lane. As the East-West gap continues to grow, no one is viewing Team Liquid as a title contender. However, it will be interesting to see how their imported team competes against the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, the field for Worlds 2023 is quickly filling out. Only a handful of qualification spots remain to be filled, mainly from smaller regions. China’s JDG, who won the Mid-Season Invitational earlier this year, will likely enter as heavy favorites to complete the incredibly rare double-title feat. North America is represented by NRG, Cloud9, and Team Liquid. Golden Guardians will have to defeat their European 4th seed counterpoint in a one-off best-of-five if they also want to join the field.
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Team Liquid Gets Shout Out From Magic Johnson
