Lee Yoon Yeol, known most for his Brood War alias NaDa has retired. One of very few that have had a career that can be considered just as prestigous as Flash's if not better, the original Genius Terran has left the professional gaming scene (one could assume permanently).

Picture courtesy of FighterForum, statistics courtesy of Liquipedia. One thing that he will hold as the record holder that Flash may have a hard time overcoming is the longest time on the KeSPA Top 30, basically the Top 30 Brood War players in the world, holding a spot on the list for 87 months (2002-2009). It goes without saying that NaDa is one of the best progamers to ever grace the game of Starcraft with his presence, being 28 years of age now, but coming into the scene a little past the age of 15. He's been around longer than almost anyone, and has the record to prove it. He's racked up over 600 wins in competition play, he's broken just about every record there was to be broken (now most of those have Flash's name, due to NaDa's retirement in 2010), and has won at least one of nearly every Korean Brood War League title.

He's a Bonjwa, meaning he's one of just a handful of players respected highly enough to be considered, as an overall agreement from both the community and fellow players. A Bonjwa is someone who outright dominates the scene over the course of not just weeks or months, but several years. Their tactics must innovate and their reign must be memorable, which NaDa's was. He cites bad health and a struggle to balance his schedule as well as other life issues as a reason for retiring. His personal Facebook page also left a quick note apologizing to fans and friends for his retirement. Reported earnings for 2005 alone were said to be over the $200,000 range, surpassing any progamer's salary at the time. Below is his official statement given on CompLexity Gaming's website:

NaDa's retirement statement:

I wanted to apologize to my overseas fans, compLexity teammates, and everyone else involved that I had to retire early. I was not able to make it to an event due to military service issues, and my biggest regret is that I was not able to see you all one last time before leaving. Thank you for always taking care of and treating the players so well through online skype.

Due to my financial difficulty, current poor state of health, pending military issues, as well as some family issues, it is difficult for me to continue on. However, I feel the need to continue running towards my dream. One of my greatest qualities, in fact, is having big dreams.

I also hope that you will continue to cheer on my fellow Korean players in compLexity, because they are my kind-hearted, hard-working and lovable younger siblings. I also truly regret not having interacted more with the other players from overseas.

One thing I really noticed at compLexity was not only the importance of good scores, but the true family-like atmosphere which I loved. Thank you for taking good care of me, Jason Lake and Scott Ford!

I have one last thing I would like to say to my foreigner fans. It is a joyous thing that I am leaving. Why, you ask? Leaving is not a sad thing after all - because it’s just the start to a new beginning.

Thank you! Good bye .. I LOVE YOU MY FANS

Just a fraction of his achievements:

First player to win 3 OSLs/Golden Mouse
First player to win 3 MSLs/Golden Badge
Longest top-1 KeSPA Ranking
Longest time in the KeSPA Ranking Top 30
Most overall wins (656); most finals appearances (10).

Both the Brood War fans and Starcraft 2 fans as a whole wish NaDa the best of luck in his future endeavours. He's truly a legend in progaming and will continue to have one of the most loyal fanbases of any gamer in the world, spanning internationally reaching out to tens of thousands of followers that respect his career for his achievements and bubbly personality, known to be a joker around fellow players always keeping the mood positive. Today, we say goodbye to NaDa's progaming career as well as his sexy body, and hope to see him come back in the near future when his health returns.