Kobe (commentator)

Last updated
Kobe
Kobe at 2015 Worlds.jpeg
Hartman-Kenzler in 2015
Personal information
NameSam Hartman-Kenzler
NationalityAmerican
Career information
Game League of Legends
Playing career2010–2011
Team history
2010–2011 Counter Logic Gaming
Sports commentary career
Sport Esports
Employer Riot Games (2013–present)

Sam Hartman-Kenzler, better known by his in-game ID Kobe, is an American League of Legends sports commentator for Riot Games. He has also spent several years playing for the professional team Counter Logic Gaming. He has had one of the longest careers of a sports commentator in the North American League of Legends Championship Series and has cast in several major international tournaments. [1]

Career

Kobe started his gaming career playing Pokémon, then moved onto Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye. He eventually started playing Super Smash Brothers and entered a few small tournaments. He then moved on to play DotA on W3 and Aeon of Strife. After graduating from college, he went backpacking in Europe spending a majority of his money. [2]

A friend later told him about League of Legends, which was at the time a new free to play game in its Beta stages. He started his League career playing nothing but Shaco for 3 months, and while leveling up he met future team member HotshotGG. He then proceeded to carry himself to high elo using AP Sion and Katarina. This is where he would meet Bigfatjiji, Chauster, and Lilballz. Bigfatjiji would later invite Kobe24 and HotshotGG to a team that would later be called Counter Logic Gaming. He competed for Counter Logic Gaming as their Jungler until early 2011, when he retired from the professional scene to pursue an education and career in engineering. [3]

Kobe came back to the scene as a shoutcaster for online tournaments before being hired by Riot for the North American LCS. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Miller (commentator)</span> British esports commentator

Joe Miller or JOEE is a British commentator. He started his career as an esports caster at gaming tournaments, working his first event shoutcasting Battlefield 1942. The 3D World War II first-person shooter (FPS) video game was coincidentally also the first game Miller played at a competitive level. At age sixteen, he began to commentate BF1942 games at home in the UK, pushing out as many audio commentaries as he could. In an interview with JP McDaniel, Miller revealed that it was a "big jump" from the audio commentaries he initially produced to the audio-video commentaries we are accustomed to today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Curse</span>

Team Curse, also known as Curse eSports, was a North American esports organization sponsored by Curse, Inc. and based in Los Angeles. Formed as a League of Legends team in 2010 by Steve "LiQuiD112" Arhancet, it was acquired by Curse Inc. in August 2011, and the team renamed to Team Curse. On April 15, 2014, Arhancet announced that he had purchased the esports arm of the Curse Inc., which from then on was an organization entire separated from Curse, Inc., although they were still the title sponsor of the new Curse eSports brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HotshotGG</span>

George Georgallidis, better known by his in-game name HotshotGG, is the founder, owner of, and a former player for Counter Logic Gaming, a professional esports organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doublelift</span> American professional esports player and streamer

Yiliang "Peter" Peng, better known as Doublelift, is an American content creator, streamer, and retired professional League of Legends player. He previously played for Counter Logic Gaming, Team Liquid, Team SoloMid, and 100 Thieves. Peng is considered one of the most iconic League of Legends players of all time. He is known for being a fierce competitor and trash-talking his opponents. One of his most famous statements came in 2013 at the League of Legends All-Star tournament when he claimed that, "Everyone else is trash."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League Championship Series (esports)</span> Professional League of Legends esports league

The League Championship Series (LCS) is the top level of professional League of Legends in the United States and Canada. The esports league is run by Riot Games and has eight franchise teams. Each annual season of competition is divided into two splits, spring and summer, which conclude with a double-elimination tournament between the top teams. At the end of the season, the winner, runners-up and third-place team of the summer playoffs qualify for the annual League of Legends World Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counter Logic Gaming</span> American esports organization

Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) was an American esports organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in April 2010 by George "HotshotGG" Georgallidis and Alexander "Vodoo" Beutel as a League of Legends team, and branched out into other games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hai (gamer)</span> American professional esports player

HaiLam, better known as Hai, is an American former professional League of Legends player. He previously played mid lane for the Golden Guardians of the North American League of Legends Championship Series. Hai rose to prominence as the mid laner for Cloud9 (C9), leading them to two NA LCS championships. During a brief retirement due to health issues in 2015, he was Cloud9's Chief Gaming Officer. He returned to the team's lineup as their jungler and support to fill in for the split playoffs. He later became the mid laner for Cloud9 Challenger, which qualified for the LCS and was bought and rebranded as FlyQuest. Hai has won two NA LCS splits with Cloud9, as well as the NA LCS Promotion Tournament with Cloud9 Challenger. He is well known for his shot calling within the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YellOwStaR</span> French League of Legends player and coach

Bora Kim, better known as YellOwStaR, is a French professional League of Legends player and coach. He has played and coached for several teams throughout his career, including Fnatic, SK Gaming, PSG Esports, against All authority, and Team SoloMid. YellOwStaR announced his retirement from professional play on 20 October 2016, but later announced his return on 13 January 2020 as a support for LDLC OL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darshan Upadhyaya</span> Canadian-American professional esports player

Darshan Upadhyaya, better known mononymously as Darshan and as ZionSpartan, is a Canadian-born American League of Legends player who played professionally from 2012–2023. He is most known for his four and a half year long tenure as Counter Logic Gaming's top laner from November 2014–May 2019, a time during which CLG and ZionSpartan made both the 2015 World Championship and the 2016 World Championship. ZionSpartan and CLG also won the 2015 NALCS Summer Split as well as the 2016 NALCS Spring Split. From the start of his career to November 2015, Upadhyaya played under the screenname ZionSpartan; from November 2015–2019, he played under the screenname Darshan; in 2020 he resumed playing as ZionSpartan; and in 2021 he has returned to Darshan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xmithie</span> Professional League of Legends player

Jake Kevin Puchero, better known by his in-game name Xmithie, is a Filipino-American professional League of Legends player most recently played as a jungler for Immortals of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Xmithie won the NA LCS' 2015 Summer Split and the 2016 Spring Split while on CLG, as well as the 2018 Spring and Summer and 2019 Spring and Summer Splits while on Team Liquid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WildTurtle</span> Canadian video game player

Jason Tran, better known as WildTurtle, is a Canadian professional League of Legends player who is the bot laner for Shopify Rebellion of the LCS. He previously played for Team SoloMid, Cloud9, CLG, Immortals, and FlyQuest. WildTurtle played in the 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2020 World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MonteCristo</span> American esports personality

Christopher Kjell Mykles, better known by his nickname MonteCristo, is an American esports executive and former color commentator, analyst, and organization owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamondprox</span>

Danil Reshetnikov, better known by his in-game name Diamondprox, is a Russian professional League of Legends player who is the jungler for Team Spirit. He is best known for his time playing as the jungler for Gambit Esports. He previously played for Team Empire, Moscow Five, the Unicorns of Love and Apex Gaming. Diamondprox hails from Saint Petersburg and is one of the world's most well-known junglers, known for his prowess on champions such as Lee Sin in Season 2, and innovating the popular Season 3 jungle play of Nasus and Xin Zhao. Diamondprox became known in the high elo ladders of League of Legends around the end of Season 1 and start of pre-Season 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dardoch</span> American professional esports player

Joshua Hartnett, better known as Dardoch, is an American professional League of Legends player. He was named Rookie of the Split for the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big (gamer)</span> American gamer

Terry Chuong, better known as BIG is an American player who is currently a support for Optic Gaming of the North American League of Legends Championship Series. He has been previously known as both Baby and Babyeator.

Shin Woo-yeong, better known by his in-game name Seraph, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player who was most recently the top laner for RunAway. He has also played for NaJin White Shield, Counter Logic Gaming, Team Dragon Knights and Team Envy.

<i>League of Legends</i> in esports

League of Legends esports is the professional competition of the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends. It is developed and published by Riot Games and was first released in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarra</span> American professional esports players

William Li, better known as Scarra, is an American Twitch streamer and former professional League of Legends player. He is most well known for being the mid laner for Team Dignitas. Li is a co-founder of OfflineTV, an online social entertainment group of content creators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 LCS season</span> Sports season

The 2022 LCS season was the tenth season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. As 2022 was the tenth anniversary of the League Championship Series, Riot announced a new LCS logo alongside "year-long celebrations planned" for the league. The season was preceded with the LCS Lock In, a preseason tournament that ran from January 14 to 30, 2022. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on February 5 and culminated with the Spring playoff finals on April 24, 2022. The Summer Split began on June 18 and culminated with the LCS Championship Final on September 11, 2022.

The 2023 LCS season was the 11th season of the League Championship Series (LCS), a North American professional esports league for the video game League of Legends. The season was divided into two splits: Spring and Summer. The Spring Split began on January 26, 2023, and culminated with the Spring Split Finals on April 9, 2023. The Summer Split began on June 14, 2023, and culminated with the LCS Championship Final on August 20, 2023.

References

  1. "Les commentateurs des Worlds annoncés". 10 September 2015.
  2. Doa Mid-Season Interview: "You see a very wild dichotomy in terms of Korean players adjusting.". 10 May 2015 via YouTube.
  3. "Kobe on NA LCS playoffs, the promotion tournament and international competition". theScore esports.
  4. "Kobe shares his MSI impressions and eats a banana on Day 4". Yahoo Sports. 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2024-02-12.

As of this edit, this article uses content from "Kobe24" , which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.