LCK casters emotional as PapaSmithy ends final show

LCK Summer came to an emotional end as long-time commentator Christopher ‘PapaSmithy’ Smith finished his final broadcast for the foreseeable future.

Fan-favorite commentator PapaSmithy is set to step away from the microphone for the coming season after taking a position as General Manager for 100 Thieves’ League of Legends division.

As a result, the conclusion of the LCK broadcast on September 11, which saw the final match of the Summer relegations played, marked the end of PapaSmithy’s time commentating the league after more than four years.

PapaSmithy first joined the English LCK broadcast in 2015, but since the departure of Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles and Erik ‘DoA’ Lonnquist for the Overwatch League in 2018, PapaSmithy has established himself not only as the main voice of South Korean League of Legends for English-speaking fans, but also as one of the most popular LoL commentators in the world.

As the show came to a close, commentary partner Max ‘Atlus’ Anderson was visibly emotional as PapaSmithy explained his reasons for moving on.

“It was my dream to cast Korean League of Legends, and I had to see if there ever was going to be another one. I could have done this job forever, and I’m hoping the next one proves to be what I hope it is.”

PapaSmithy finished his final LCK broadcast with a simple message for both his colleagues and his fans.

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“For everyone out there that I worked with, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks to all the fans, I’ll see you around soon.”

For fans of PapaSmithy’s commentary, there will likely still be more chances to see him on an official broadcast. He is widely expected to be on the talent team for the upcoming World Championship – although details have yet to be officially confirmed – and he’s also expressed a willingness to make cameos on the LCS broadcast once he’s settled into his role at 100 Thieves.

PapaSmithy’s departure wasn’t the only historic moment of the day, as his final broadcast also saw Jin Air relegated from the league for the first time since joining it in 2013.