In the extensive history of the Overwatch League, only a handful of players from the original season remain. One veteran player in particular has been a part of a lot of transfers in his history, but only between two similar teams. And now, it’s happened again midway through the 2023 season.
Kwon “Striker” Nam-joo, one of the original Boston Uprising players from the inaugural season, has moved to the San Francisco Shock for the third time in his career, the Overwatch League team announced today. Not only is this his third time going to the Shock organization, but it’s his third time leaving Boston to do so.
Looking back, the first move Striker made from Boston to San Francisco made complete sense. Boston had a very successful roster in 2018 but fell quickly in 2019, leading to a big move to the Shock. It ended up as a crucial signing for San Francisco’s next championships, winning back-to-back in 2019 and 2020, and Striker was named the Grand Finals MVP in that 2020 title.
Partway through 2021, he seemingly retired from professional play, leaving for the rest of the season. Just when it seemed that he was done, though, Boston convinced him to come back for the 2022 season. But he quickly fell out of sorts with that roster and left only six months into his return to his debut org. Striker remained a free agent from May to September of that year but was picked up by, who else, the Shock in 2022.
Related: San Francisco Shock signs Striker—again
Even with the short-notice pickup heading into the playoffs, he was important in San Francisco’s run to the 2022 finals, despite losing to the Dallas Fuel. In a moment too familiar with the Shock at this point, he left in the offseason to join the attempted superteam that is the 2023 Boston Uprising, with lots of Korean veteran talent.
After failing to qualify for the Midseason Madness tournament this year, Striker once again was on the market. In early July, Striker was released by the Uprising, and only 10 days later, he’s back on the Shock for the third time in his five-year career.
Even the Shock knew how funny this moment was, based on the way the org revealed it on Twitter. The head coach for the Shock, Park “Crusty” Dae-hee, has always had a connection with Striker since their time together on the original Boston Uprising roster.
Now, with a much deeper roster than before, the Shock has its perennial DPS star to turn to for the rest of the year—before he potentially joins Boston again and continues the cycle.
