We reported a few weeks ago that Yoon Yeol Lee (NaDa) was retiring from professional gaming, citing some personal issues he wanted to address along with health issues that were of greater concern than his gaming career.

Having attended university diligently these last few years, NaDa continues to contribute to the gaming community -- this time, he's quoted as saying that he's wanting to start a new Starcraft 2 team (in the same sense BoxeR has done with SlayerS). Below is a translated excerpt of the interview he gave. Translating courtesy of Jin-Hong Cho of ESFI.

NaDa's statements regarding his retirement, new team:

What are your post-retirement plans?
I have been acting as a model for S-Culture clothing brand for couple months. I also plan to join a StarCraft 2 team called MJ team as head manager, so I can mentor my pupils. I want to create a very strong pro gaming team with my own effort. Mr. Song, the president of S-Culture, will also be the president of MJ. We are in the process of finding coaching staff and players, and many people are already applying. I then plan to go to the military, and get married afterward.


Why are you starting as a head manager instead of a coach?
The president persuaded me to do so. He gave me good reasons why becoming a mentor and doing other things are important. He also promised me that I will be an honorary manager during my military service, and will continue to be the manager after completion of my mandatory military service. I was already getting a individual sponsorship from S-Culture, so when the president asked me to work with him, I gladly accepted.

Are you having any difficulties in your new endeaveor?
The president and I are working diligently on this project. Many pro gamers tend to get lost after retiring. I want to show them that there is a path like this by making it successful. I want the current players to be able to retire in the future with confidence for what lies ahead.

As per usual with every outgoing legend of the gaming scene, Starcraft or not, we hope to see NaDa back in a few showmatches here and there dropping in to greet the thousands of fans that he's earned and developed over the decade plus of his historic reign as one of the best Terrans to ever play. One can only hope that if he does indeed develop a Starcraft 2 team that it will lead a legacy of their own and will succeed much like the Genius Terran has. For now, we sit back and wait for news to come in regarding the matter. Updates to come, keep a close eye here at Cadred.