Los Angeles Gladiators DPS Jihyeok “birdring” Kim announced his retirement from Overwatch League play.
The Gladiators celebrated his decision on Wednesday by posting a video on Twitter along with the following comment:
“A true legend retires today. (birdring), you have impacted this game forever. We and the entire Overwatch community wish you all the best in your next chapter.”
A true legend retires today.@Birdring, you have impacted this game forever. We and the entire Overwatch community wish you all the best in your next chapter. pic.twitter.com/ukCy6xjk3v
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 7, 2021
The 22-year-old from South Korea spent the first two Overwatch League seasons with the London Spitfire, winning the championship in 2017. birdring began his professional career with Team KongDoo’s Uncia and Panthera and had a brief stint with Cloud9 KongDoo before joining the Spitfire in 2017.
“I’ve kept moving forward these past few years but I’ve decided to slow down and rest,” birdring wrote on Twitter. “I wanted to say my goodbyes to you all for the last time as the Overwatch 1 professional gamer, Birdring.”
birdring came up with his name by combining the words Bird and Ring as a nod to his role model Brandon “Seagull” Larned, a popular streamer who retired from competition following Season 1.
–Field Level Media
