100 THIEVES
North American esports organization and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves announced they have hired former League of Legends Champions Korea caster Chris “PapaSmithy” Smith. PapaSmithy will operate as the organization’s General Manager for the League of Legends roster.
Welcome Chris Smith (@PapaSmithy), our new League of Legends General Manager!
Previously an LCK caster for 4+ years, Chris is one of the most well-respected analysts / commentators in the industry. We’re thrilled to bring him to NA & can’t wait to build more for 100T LoL. #100T pic.twitter.com/5ixH4Gm1uQ
— 100 Thieves (@100Thieves) September 4, 2019
PapaSmithy as General Manager
“Chris Smith is one of the most well-respected analysts and commentators in the esports industry,” said Jacob Toft-Andersen, the Vice President of Esports for 100 Thieves, in an interview with ESPN. “His background makes him more than qualified to be our LoL team’s General Manager and his vision for the future aligns with what 100 Thieves is trying to achieve.”
Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith was previously a color commentator for the LCK’s English broadcast team. He is originally from Australia and worked as a school psychologist for two and a half years before becoming a caster. He joined the LCK in May of 2015 and Riot Games in Jan 2019.
On Aug 31, the popular LCK caster announced he would no longer be casting for the region. Some replies to the statement thought that it could mean a transition to the North American or European regions. However, PapaSmithy soon announced he would join 100 Thieves as the General Manager for the League roster. PapaSmithy has years of experience working in one of the top League regions and a psychology background as well.
100 Thieves League of Legends
With a brand new roster after the 2018 NA LCS season, 100 Thieves seemed to be an incoming powerhouse for the 2019 LCS season. However, that roster – headlined with former back-to-back SK Telecom T1 world champion Bae “Bang” Jun-sik – did not meet expectations. 100 Thieves placed dead last during the 2019 LCS Spring Split with 4 wins and 14 losses.
After trying out different roster combinations, the roster managed to nearly make it to Playoffs during the 2019 LCS Summer Split. Unfortunately, after winning against third-place Counter Logic Gaming, 100 Thieves weren’t able to continue their success versus OpTic Gaming.
After announcing it would not pursue a Call of Duty franchise slot, 100 Thieves revealed plans to enter the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. The news of PapaSmithy joining to help manage the League of Legends roster is a much-needed addition to the LCS team. The next few months of offseason before the 2020 LCS Spring Split in January will allow him to restructure the roster.
How do you think 100 Thieves will now perform in the next split? Let us know in the comments.
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