Danny left Evil Geniuses late into the Summer Split of 2022 due to excessive mental stress and the pressures of public competition. This was one of the first recent examples of a professional player purposefully stepping away from the scene as a result of the external pressures of pro play. Recently, on a co-stream of Korea’s LCK, LS said that he’d spoken with the absent pro player and that Danny’s time away from the spotlight was doing him good. Here’s what we know about Danny and his steps away from pro play in 2023.
Why did Danny leave the LCS?
Danny was previously the young, all-star AD Carry for LCS team Evil Geniuses. Danny was hailed as one of the new talents from North America, heralding a new era for the LCS. Danny has been signed with Evil Geniuses in one capacity or another since 2020. Late into the competitive year for 2022, Evil Geniuses’ CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson posted on Twitter that Danny would be stepping away from the team’s LCS team ahead of the Summer Playoffs.
“With much respect and an open heart, I share with you today that our beloved Kyle ‘Danny’ Samamaki will not be competing at this weekend’s LCS Summer Split Finals in Chicago.
It takes a great deal of courage and self-awareness to recognize when the time is right to step away from something you’ve worked so hard at achieving, especially when you care so deeply for this organization and your teammates, in order to focus on mental health. “
The community showed an outpouring of support for Danny, who would be replaced by Muhammed “Kaori” Senturk for both the Summer Playoffs and Worlds 2022. Since then, fans have heard little to nothing of Danny’s time away from the sport. He remains signed to Evil Geniuses on their inactive roster.
In a clip from a recent co-stream of the LCK, LS said that Danny’s time away from pro play was going well. On his stream LS announced that he had reached out to Danny.
“Danny [replied to me], he says he’s been doing okay and that the break he’s been on for the last few months has really helped him a lot. He’s feeling a lot better now in life, and he’s doing better. Some of [my viewers] said that he was playing the game or that his solo queue IDs were active. He’s said that he’s not actually touching the game, and that he’s watching the LCK and the LCS, but he’s doing overall a lot better,” he said.
Many fans are hoping to Danny return to the LCS sooner rather than later, and this is the first news that makes his return seem like a possibility, though it may not be soon.
Nicholas James
About Nicholas James
Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.
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