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Golden Guardians
Golden Guardians
Golden Guardians
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The Golden Guardians (GG) were an American esports organization owned by the Golden State Warriors.[2][3] The organization was one of four that joined the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in 2018 after the league began franchising, the others being 100 Thieves, Clutch Gaming and OpTic Gaming.[4][5] On December 18, 2019, the Golden Guardians announced their expansion into the professional scenes of Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics and World of Warcraft.[6] In 2020, Golden Guardians expanded into Super Smash Bros. Melee by signing player Zain "Zain" Naghmi.[7]

Key Information

In November 2023, Golden Guardians announced their departure from the LCS as the league shifted from a ten-team to an eight-team format. That same month, Melee player and streamer Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, who had signed to Golden Guardians in 2021, announced the disbanding of Golden Guardians as an organization. Nanney cited the organizations departure from the LCS as the main factor. The following month, it was noted that the Golden Guardians X page had been deleted.[8][9]

League of Legends

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History

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2018 season

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The Golden Guardians finalized their roster for the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split on December 13, 2017, signing top laner Samson "Lourlo" Jackson, jungler Juan "Contractz" Arturo Garcia, mid laner Hai "Hai" Du Lam, bot laner Matthew "Deftly" Chen and support Matthew "Matt" Elento, with Choi "Locodoco" Yoon-seop as head coach for the team. On February 4, 2018, Locodoco was fired after making inappropriate remarks towards a female member of Riot Games' esports staff. The final decision was made by the Golden State Warriors, the parent company of the Golden Guardians, who cited their strict zero tolerance policy.[10] Assistant coach Tyler Perron was subsequently promoted to interim head coach to fill the vacant position. The team finished the regular season of the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split in tenth place with a 4–14 record.[11]

On April 23, 2018, the Golden Guardians acquired mid laner Young-min "Mickey" Son from Team Liquid, in preparation for the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split.[12][13] Shortly afterwards, Hai announced his retirement from competitive play for the second time and left the team.[14][15]

The Golden Guardians ended the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split in tenth place, with a 5–13 record, becoming the first team in the league's history to finish last two splits in a row.[16]

2019 season

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In preparation for the 2019 LCS Spring Split (which had recently renamed to exclude "NA" from its title), the Golden Guardians acquired Kevin "Hauntzer" Yarnell and Kim "Olleh" Joo-sung from Team SoloMid and Team Liquid respectively.[17][18] Veteran player Henrik "Froggen" Hansen later joined the team to complete the roster.[19][20] The Golden Guardians also hired Nick "Inero" Smith as the Golden Guardians' new head coach and Danan Flander, former Cloud9 senior general manager, as the team's first general manager.[21]

Despite a disappointing start to the 2019 LCS Spring Split, the Golden Guardians managed to end the regular season in fifth place after losing a tiebreaker match to FlyQuest, with a 9–9 record. This secured the team their first appearance in playoffs,[22] where they narrowly lost 2–3 to FlyQuest in the quarterfinals.[23] During the first half of the summer split the Golden Guardians kept the same starting lineup from the spring split, but later opted to promote bot laner Victor "FBI" Huang and support Choi "Huhi" Jae-hyun from the academy team.[24] Deftly was later traded to Cloud9 Academy for Yuri "Keith" Jew.[25] The Golden Guardians ended the summer split tied for sixth with 100 Thieves and OpTic Gaming. After losing their tiebreaker match to OpTic Gaming, the Golden Guardians were locked out of playoffs.[26]

2020 season

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2021 season

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2022 season

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2023 season

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For the 2023 LCS Spring Split, the Golden Guardians acquired mid laner Kim "Gori" Tae-woo from Hong Kong team PSG Talon. Huhi returned as the team's support, while top laner Eric "Licorice" Ritchie, jungler Kim "River" Dong-woo, and bot laner Trevor "Stixxay" Hayes were retained from the previous split.

On July 21, 2023, the Golden Guardians defeated 100 Thieves to end the summer split regular season with 13 wins, the most in the organization's history.[27] The team attributed their success to "hard work", "the power of friendship", and "taco Fridays".[28]

Tournament results

[edit]
Placement Event Final result (W–L)
10th 2018 NA LCS Spring Split 4–14
10th 2018 NA LCS Summer Split 5–13
5th 2019 LCS Spring Split 9–9
5th–6th 2019 LCS Spring Playoffs 2–3 (against FlyQuest)
7th 2019 LCS Summer Split 8–10
6th 2020 LCS Spring Split 8–10
5th–6th 2020 LCS Spring Playoffs 0–3 (against FlyQuest)
5th 2020 LCS Summer Split 9–9
5th–6th 2020 LCS Summer Playoffs 2–3 (against Team SoloMid)
5th–8th 2021 LCS Lock-In 0–2 (against Evil Geniuses)
10th 2021 LCS Spring Split 3–15
8th 2021 LCS Summer Split 14–31
7th–8th 2021 LCS Championship 0–3 (against Cloud9)
5th–8th 2022 LCS Lock-In 0–2 (against Evil Geniuses)
6th 2022 LCS Spring Split 9–9
5th–6th 2022 LCS Spring Playoffs 0–3 (against Cloud9)
8th 2022 LCS Summer Split 5–13
7th–8th 2022 LCS Championship 2–3 (against Counter Logic Gaming)
6th 2023 LCS Spring Split 9–9

Super Smash Bros. Melee

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History

[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Melee player Zain "Zain" Naghmi was signed by the Golden Guardians on February 6, 2020.[7] During 2020, Zain has won Pound Online,[29] the Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series 2,[30] and Smash Summit 10,[31] all three of which took place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 20, 2020, Golden Guardians hosted "The Octagon", a one-night showcase of some of Melee's top players competing in a first-to-five wins matchup with the main event being Zain vs Joseph "Mang0" Manuel Marquez, which Zain won 5–2.

On April 2, 2021, the organization announced the signings of Super Smash Bros. Melee player Edgard "n0ne" L. Sheleby, inactive player and streamer Kevin "PPMD" Nanney and commentator Kris "Toph" Aldenderfer.[32]

Zain was ranked the number one player in the world in 2022.[33]

On March 29, 2023, Zain announced his departure from the Golden Guardians; the following day, the organization announced the signings of then-#2-ranked[33] Melee player Masaya "aMSa" Chikamoto and player-commentator Brandon "HomeMadeWaffles" Collier.[34]

In November 2023, Kevin "PPMD" Nanney announced that, though the organization decided to disband, Golden Guardians Melee had been profitable.[9]

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Golden Guardians

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Golden Guardians was an American professional organization owned by the National Basketball Association's franchise, primarily recognized for fielding a team in North America's premier competitive league, the League Championship Series (LCS), from 2018 to 2023. Established in 2017 as part of the LCS's transition to a franchised model, the organization secured one of four new permanent slots alongside teams like , , and Dignitas, marking the Warriors' entry into esports to leverage their brand in the growing industry. The Golden Guardians' inaugural LCS roster featured players such as jungler Juan "Contractz" Garcia and mid laner Hai "Hai" Lam, but the team struggled initially, finishing 10th in both the 2018 Spring and Summer splits with win records of 4-14 and 5-13, respectively. Over subsequent seasons, the team underwent multiple roster overhauls, gradually improving their performance; notable players included jungler Kim "River" Seo-jin, ADC Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng in a brief stint, and veteran support Choi "Huhi" Hyun-woo. The organization's most successful period came in the 2023 season, where the Golden Guardians achieved their best-ever LCS results, including a 9-9 record in the Spring Split that propelled them to the playoffs and their first-ever finals appearance against , though they fell short of the championship. In the Summer Split, they secured 13 wins—the highest in franchise history—before exiting in the championship bracket quarterfinals, also qualifying for their debut international event, the , where they finished 7th-8th with a 9-8 game record. Beyond League of Legends, the Golden Guardians expanded into other titles, including a prominent division launched in 2020 that signed top players like Geoffrey "iBDW" Robinson and Josh "Jugglegut" ; this team hosted innovative events like The tournament series to support grassroots competitors. They also briefly fielded squads in and Smite, though these ventures saw limited competitive success and were discontinued early. In November 2023, the Golden Guardians departed the LCS alongside as restructured the league from 10 to 8 teams, eliminating slots and prompting the organization's exit after five years of competition. The division officially disbanded on November 30, 2023, releasing its roster to free agency, while the overall organization ceased operations by late December 2023, with its website taken down and activity halted. Despite not securing an LCS title, the Golden Guardians contributed to the professionalization of North American through fan engagement initiatives, such as the 2023 documentary-style series "A Message From Golden Guardians" highlighting team resilience, and amassed over $490,000 in tournament earnings across disciplines.

Background

Founding and ownership

The Golden Guardians were announced on November 20, 2017, as the esports division of the National Basketball Association's franchise. This formation marked the Warriors' entry into competitive gaming, aligning with ' transition to a franchised model for the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS). Ownership of the Golden Guardians remains fully integrated within the organization, with no external investors or separate ownership entities reported. The team operates as a direct affiliate, leveraging the Warriors' resources to establish a presence in . Headquarters and initial operations were established in , near the Warriors' original facilities, to foster branding synergy between the NBA team and its esports counterpart. This location supported seamless integration of administrative and promotional efforts without prior competitive infrastructure. From inception, the organization focused on professional esports entry, selecting League of Legends as its flagship title to build a competitive foundation from scratch.

Other esports divisions

In December 2019, Golden Guardians announced its expansion into three additional esports titles: Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics (TFT), and World of Warcraft, aiming to diversify beyond its primary League of Legends and Super Smash Bros. Melee divisions. The organization's team, formed on December 18, 2019, participated in several North American regional qualifiers during 2020, including the ALGS Online #3 where it placed 39th–40th and the Code Red Charity Tournament with a 20th-place finish, but achieved no major international placements before disbanding on December 1, 2020. Golden Guardians entered the TFT scene in early 2020, competing in North American circuits such as the Magic n' Mayhem: Americas Tactician's Cup #3 with a 41st-place result, though its overall competitive presence remained limited without notable tournament success. The division, established in late 2019, competed in arena and mythic dungeon formats at high-level events, including large-scale tournaments like the Arena World Championship, ultimately earning approximately $165,500 in before ceasing operations in late 2023. The organization also briefly entered the Smite scene, fielding a team with limited competitive details and success, discontinued early alongside other minor ventures. These ventures received comparatively minimal investment and resources relative to the core and teams, functioning largely as experimental extensions to test market potential in emerging titles, with all minor divisions impacted by the organization's full disbandment in November 2023.

League of Legends

History

The entered the Championship Series (LCS) in 2018 as one of four new franchised teams, owned by the . Their inaugural roster consisted of top laner Eugene "Lourlo" Schuler, jungler Juan "Contractz" Garcia, mid laner Hai "Hai" Lam, ADC Michael "Deftly" Alamo, and support Matt "Matt" Mahmood, coached by Locodoco. The team struggled in their debut Spring Split, finishing 10th with a 4–14 record, and similarly placed 10th in the Summer Split with 5–13 after Hai's retirement and replacement by . In 2019, the organization restructured, releasing several players and signing top laner Kevin "Hauntzer" Hansen, mid laner Rasmus "Froggen" Kristensen, and support Jaehyuk "Olleh" Lee, with Inero as coach. They improved to 5th place in the Spring Split (9–9 record), reaching playoffs but losing 3–2 to . The Summer Split saw further changes, including the promotion of William "FBI" Salem to ADC, signing Choi "Huhi" Hyun-woo as mid laner, and acquiring Keith for support; they finished 7th (8–10) after losing a . The 2020 season featured roster stability with additions like jungler Kim "Closer" Min-jae and mid laner Jonah "Goldenglue" Corum. Golden Guardians placed 6th in Spring (8–10), losing 3–0 to in , and 5th in Summer (9–9), advancing to lower bracket semifinals after a 3–0 win over TSM but losses to and TSM. In 2021, financial challenges from led to major changes, with acquiring key players; the new roster of Niles, Ic0nic, Ablazeolive, Stixxay, and finished 9th in Spring (5–13) and 8th in Summer (7–11), exiting early against Cloud9. For 2022, the team signed top laner Licorice and jungler , retaining Stixxay and Huhi. They achieved 6th in Spring (8–10), losing to , but struggled in Summer (5–13), placing 10th. The 2023 season marked their peak: with the addition of jungler Gori, they posted a 10–8 record in Spring, reaching their first finals (2nd place) after defeating TSM and , but losing 3–1 to , qualifying for the (MSI) where they went 0–6 in groups. In Summer, a roster featuring Licorice, , Bwipo (mid), Stixxay, and Huhi secured a franchise-record 13–5 regular season (2nd place), advancing to quarterfinals before a 3–2 loss to ; a brief stint by Yiliang "" Peng occurred earlier. The organization left the LCS in November 2023 amid restructuring to 8 teams.

Competitive record and notable players

SeasonSplitRegular SeasonPlayoffs Placement
2018Spring4–14 (10th)Did not qualify
2018Summer5–13 (10th)Did not qualify
2019Spring9–9 (5th)5th–6th (lost 2–3 to )
2019Summer8–10 (7th)Did not qualify
2020Spring8–10 (6th)7th–8th (lost 0–3 to )
2020Summer9–9 (5th)5th–6th (lost 2–3 to TSM, 0–3 to )
2021Spring5–13 (9th)Did not qualify
2021Summer7–11 (8th)7th–8th (lost 0–3 to )
2022Spring8–10 (6th)7th–8th (lost 0–3 to )
2022Summer5–13 (10th)9th–10th (lost 2–3 to CLG)
2023Spring10–8 (4th)2nd (lost 1–3 to )
2023Summer13–5 (2nd)5th–6th (lost 2–3 to )
Notable players included top laners Kevin "Hauntzer" Hansen and Tommy "Licorice" Nguyen, junglers Juan "Contractz" Garcia and Kim "River" Seo-jin, mid laners Rasmus "Froggen" Kristensen and Choi "Huhi" Hyun-woo, and ADCs Zaq "Stixxay" Lampert and Yiliang "" Peng (brief 2023 stint). The team earned over $300,000 in LCS prize money, with their best international result being MSI 2023 group stage.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

History

The Golden Guardians entered the scene in early 2020 as part of their broader esports expansions into fighting games, following prior investments in titles like . The organization's initial foray into Melee began with the signing of Zain Naghmi on February 6, 2020, shortly after his victory at GENESIS 7, establishing him as the flagship player and marking Golden Guardians' entry into the . In 2021, Golden Guardians significantly expanded its roster by signing Kris "Toph" Aldenderfer, Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, and Edgard "n0ne" Sheleby on , bolstering the team's depth with established talents. To support player development and community engagement during the ongoing restrictions, the organization invested in the "The Octagon" online event series, which featured high-profile invitational matches and returned as a key initiative that year. The division experienced notable growth in 2022, with Zain securing the top world ranking for the year amid a competitive field, while the team actively participated in major LAN tournaments as in-person events resumed post-COVID. Changes came in 2023 when Zain departed the organization on March 29, prompting quick roster adjustments with the signings of international star Masaya "aMSa" Chikamoto and James "HomeMadeWaffles" McClelland on March 30. Despite challenges in the League of Legends Championship Series, Golden Guardians continued hosting events to sustain operations. On November 30, 2023, Golden Guardians disbanded its division as part of the full organizational wind-down, even though the program had reportedly been profitable according to player "PPMD" Nanney.

Competitive record and notable players

The Golden Guardians' division amassed approximately $79,000 in total earnings from tournaments between 2020 and 2023, primarily driven by individual performances from roster members. Key successes included Zain's first-place finish at the Championship Series 4 in January 2022, earning $9,001, and his victory at the Championship Series 2 in July 2020, which netted $8,250.33. The team also secured a second-place finish at Smash Summit 11 in July 2021, contributing $23,350.35 to the total, alongside a fourth-place result at Smash Summit 9 in February 2020 worth $6,242.52. Notable team placements featured top-eight finishes at major events, such as Zain's seventh-to-eighth place at GOML 2022 and PPMD's equivalent at Smash Summit 11. Zain further excelled with wins at GENESIS 8 in April 2022 and Low Tier City 10 in October 2022, solidifying the division's presence in regional and national majors. In 2023, aMSa joined the roster and contributed significantly, including a first-place finish at The Off-Season 2 ($10,000) in September 2023, fourth place at Get On My Level 2023, and a fifth-place finish at Super Smash Con 2023. The organization hosted and dominated the "The Octagon" exhibition series from 2020 to 2022, featuring high-profile matches that enhanced Melee's visibility through streams on their GG Melee YouTube channel, which garnered over 6 million views by early 2023. Among standout players, Zain Naghmi ranked first globally on the MPGR Summer 2022 leaderboard, the first non-"Five Gods" player to achieve this milestone based on performances from March to July 2022. PPMD experienced a resurgence post-2021 signing, securing multiple top-eight finishes at majors like Smash Summit 11, where his showcased improved consistency after health-related hiatuses. Toph maintained steady mid-tier placements throughout his tenure, often finishing in the top 16-32 at events like GOML 2022 while contributing as a commentator to build community engagement. Emerging talent n0ne achieved multiple top-four results, including third place at GOML 2022 ($573.34) and strong showings in online series, highlighting his Captain prowess in the grassroots scene.

References

  1. https://www.nba.com/warriors/golden-guardians
  2. https://esportsinsider.com/2023/11/evil-geniuses-golden-guardians-leave-lcs-8-teams-2024
  3. https://nerdstreet.com/news/2021/6/golden-guardians-octagon-smash-melee-esports-development
  4. https://betsapi.com/t/195565/Golden-Guardians
  5. https://nerdstreet.com/news/2023/7/league-of-legends-lcs-golden-guardians-stixxay-on-2023-success
  6. https://liquipedia.net/worldofwarcraft/Golden_Guardians
  7. https://esports.gg/news/league-of-legends/golden-guardians-organization-seemingly-completely-shutters/
  8. https://www.esportsearnings.com/teams/792-golden-guardians
  9. https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/golden-guardians-compete-north-american-league-legends-championship-series
  10. https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2017/11/20/league-of-legends-new-partnership-model-with-warriors-cavaliers-and-rockets-teams/
  11. https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21427497/league-legends-sources-golden-state-warriors-owned-league-legends-team-called-golden-guardians
  12. https://www.theverge.com/2017/11/20/16679430/league-of-legends-na-lcs-permanent-teams
  13. https://www.ringcentral.com/whyringcentral/casestudies/golden-state-warriors.html
  14. https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/28327753/golden-guardians-rebranding-expanding-three-new-esports-titles
  15. https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/9994/golden-guardians-dives-into-more-esports-titles-signs-apex-legends-world-of-warcraft-and-teamfight-tactics-roster
  16. https://liquipedia.net/apexlegends/Golden_Guardians
  17. https://liquipedia.net/apexlegends/Golden_Guardians/Results
  18. https://liquipedia.net/tft/Golden_Guardians
  19. https://escharts.com/teams/tft/golden-guardians
  20. https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/news/golden-guardians-announce-expansion-to-three-additional-esports-titles/1286503/
  21. https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_Guardians
  22. https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/Golden_Guardians/History
  23. https://liquipedia.net/leagueoflegends/Golden_Guardians
  24. https://lol.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_Guardians/Schedule_History
  25. https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/golden-guardians-signs-super-smash-bros-melee-pro-zain-teamfight-tactics-streamer-dogdog
  26. https://www.ginx.tv/en/super-smash-bros-melee/zain-golden-guardians-genesis-smash-melee
  27. https://upcomer.com/golden-guardians-expands-super-smash-bros-melee-roster/
  28. https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/golden-guardians-smash-ppmd-toph-n0ne-50k-grassroots-fund
  29. https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/golden-guardians-to-host-the-octagon-a-super-smash-bros-melee-charity-showcase
  30. https://blog.start.gg/ssbmrank-2022-the-top-ten-dd20add1d177
  31. https://upcomer.com/melee-pro-zain-departs-from-golden-guardians/
  32. https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/golden-guardians-expands-smash-melee-roster
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drzwe6zcmYA
  34. https://liquipedia.net/smash/Golden_Guardians
  35. https://www.esportsearnings.com/teams/792-golden-guardians/results/3406-super-smash-bros-melee
  36. https://www.esportsearnings.com/players/14769-amsa-chikamoto-masaya
  37. https://liquipedia.net/smash/Zain
  38. https://www.esportsearnings.com/tournaments/64192-the-off-season-2-ssbm
  39. https://liquipedia.net/smash/Super_Smash_Con/2023/Melee
  40. https://escharts.com/organizations/golden-guardians
  41. https://www.ssbwiki.com/Tournament:The_Octagon_2
  42. https://www.ssbwiki.com/Smasher:PPMD
  43. https://www.ssbwiki.com/Smasher:Toph
  44. https://liquipedia.net/smash/N0ne
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