Longtime pro player Zaqueri "Aphromoo" Black has officially announced his retirement from professional League of Legends, bringing an end to a career lasting more than a decade. With the 2023 competitive season of the Riot Games MOBA officially kicking off, the game's pro scene has seen significant roster moves over the off-season. Several teams saw major changes with reigning World Champion jungler Pyosik leaving Damwon Gaming to join North America's Team Liquid and Doublelift returning to the game. Now, one of North America's most iconic pros is saying his goodbyes.
Aphromoo joined professional League of Legends team FlyQuest last off-season as the oldest player still active in the North American circuit. The pro player celebrated his 30th birthday last September with a history in the pro scene dating back to the formative days of professional League of Legends in 2011. The Support player would struggle with his new team as FlyQuest would not finish higher than 5th place during 2022 and would miss the League of Legends World Championships. Now, Aphromoo has announced his retirement from the game.
Aphromoo officially announced his retirement on Wednesday night with a video posted to his YouTube channel. The streamer revealed he is not going to be on a professional team for the coming 2023 season, retiring from the game and shifting his attention towards streaming. Aphromoo thanked the fans who had supported him throughout his long career and expressed his excitement to move onto the next phase of his life, intending to stream games like Valorant and Apex Legends. While he will not be playing professionally, Aphromoo did confirm he will still stream League of Legends.
Aphromoo's retirement brings an end to a professional career that started in 2011, playing for amateur teams like Team Rez and v8 eSports. He would bounce around between several teams as an AD Carry player before role-swapping to Support and joining legendary North American organization Counter Logic Gaming. Aphromoo would spend most of his career with CLG, playing on the team for five years until he left in 2017. Aphromoo would spend the waning years of his career with North American teams 100 Thieves, Dignitas, and finally FlyQuest.
Aphromoo leaves behind a legacy that includes not only multiple LCS championships but one of the most successful role swaps in League of Legends history. Aphromoo became a household name in the community for his legendary "Support is so easy" video, shortly before his official swap to the Support role. He would win two North American LCS championships with CLG, taking the crown in the 2015 Summer playoffs and 2016 Spring playoffs. Aphromoo steps away from League of Legends as one of North America's most beloved pro players.
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