North American League of Legends team 100 Thieves are expected to sign two-time world champion Bae "Bang" Jun-sik ahead of the 2019 season, sources close to the team and player told ESPN.
Bang will join a roster that includes two other Korean speakers, top laner Kim "Ssumday" Chan-ho and mid laner Choi "Huhi" Jae-hyun. 100 Thieves signed Ssumday to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday and facilitated a transfer for Huhi with Counter Logic Gaming on Wednesday.
Bang will replace Cody Sun and Samuel "Rikara" Oh, who are both contracted with 100 Thieves through the conclusion of the 2019 season. Several North American teams have taken interest in Sun, particularly OpTic Gaming, according to sources close to that team.
Bang's contract with SK Telecom T1 expired on Monday. During his five-year duration with SKT, he won back-to-back League of Legends World Championships alongside star mid laner Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok. SK Telecom T1 announced they would rebuild around Faker for the 2019 season.
Meanwhile, Huhi's transfer from Counter Logic Gaming comes after a long tenure, including multiple top-4 finishes in the North American League Championship Series.
Huhi was a vital player for 100 Thieves as they look to build a new team, particularly due to his residency status in North America. Although originally from South Korea, Huhi obtained his green card in July. As a result, he was granted immediate residency by Riot Games per their interregional movement policy.
This will allow 100 Thieves to use two import slots for Ssumday and Bang. The team is expected to keep jungler Andy "AnDa" Hoang and support Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black, as they become the second North American team to finalize their 2019 roster.
In their first year in the league, 100 Thieves finished second and then fourth in the North American League Championship Series. Founded by former Call of Duty pro Matthew "Nadeshot" Hagg, the team received funding by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert in mid-2017 and earned a franchised spot in the NA LCS in October 2017.