Buzz
Coach Kim is the next name after Coach Daeny to be fired mid-season, even earlier than former T1 coach.
Typically, at the start of a season, teams, especially in major regions like LCK or LPL, tend to avoid changing coaches midstream. Stability is crucial given the relatively short duration of each League of Legends season (about 4 - 5 months). However, in the 2021 season, T1 surprised everyone by dismissing the coaching duo of Daeny and Zefa halfway through the LCK Summer Split.
Recently, DRX has also announced the termination of their contract with Coach Kim, making the coach who led Invictus Gaming to win the 2018 Worlds championship the second coach in consecutive seasons to be fired mid-season before the tournament concludes. Moreover, Coach Kim was dismissed even faster than Coach Daeny. Particularly noteworthy is that Coach Kim was temporarily suspended from coaching DRX just as the team was showing signs of a comeback after a challenging start to the season.
On the DRX side, in a recent interview, they have decided to keep the details of the situation completely confidential from the media and fans. The team's representative only gave a vague explanation, stating that it was an issue between Coach Kim and the DRX management. Furthermore, it was mentioned that the players are not allowed to discuss mid-season coaching changes.
Coach Kim is notorious for being extremely strict. He has been known to heavily criticize his players, from Nuguri to Faker himself. However, he also maintains a close relationship with IG players and has spoken out in defense of the 'Demon King' when some anti-fans have sought to attack him amidst Clozer's rising performance.
DRX is currently facing numerous challenges. Just as they were performing exceptionally well, news broke that almost the entire team, except for Deft, has tested positive for Covid-19. With the ongoing pandemic situation unresolved, the current head coach has been dismissed. Consequently, the upcoming match against KT Rolster at the beginning of the 2022 LCK Spring season will pose a significant challenge for Deft as he now has to carry the team entirely on his shoulders. However, Deft himself has not been able to provide absolute reassurance to the fans lately.
