Former TSM top laner Marcus ‘Dyrus’ Hill revealed in an AMA that he did not take a paycheck from the LCS organization while playing for the team.
Dyrus is considered a legendary player in the North American League of Legends esports scene. The former TSM top laner was known for his quiet demeanor and steady presence in the top lane.
He joined the esports organization in 2012 and stayed with the team through the early days of the professional League scene up until his retirement in 2015. With TSM, Dyrus attended four Riot Games major international tournaments and helped cement the team’s early dominance of the North American region.
After leaving TSM, Dyrus became a full-time streamer, though he has returned to the pro spotlight sparingly like his run with Delta Fox in the 2017 North American Challenger Series or the LCS 2020 Summer Classic Showmatch.
On January 3, 2024, the former TSM player took questions in an AMA on social media and made a shocking claim about his financial arrangement with the esports organization.
TSM legend claims he didn’t take a paycheck during his LCS days
The streamer answered a barrage of questions about his time with TSM and his favorite teammates, but the one that stood out the most was about his salary with the team.
One social media user asked the former League pro what his peak salary was while with TSM.
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i didn't take a paycheck, all of it was from streaming.
— Marcus (@Dyrus) January 3, 2024
“I didn’t take a paycheck, all of it was from streaming,” Dyrus responded.
Dyrus retired from pro play before the LCS became a franchised league in 2018 and in the early days of esports pros were lucky to be paid at all. However, League was arguably one of the premier esports and was selling out stadiums for its world championships during the latter end of his career.
It’s also important to mention that this is a time where pro players streaming was more commonplace, and it was much easier for players to generate revenue from streaming. Now, pro players’ streams are much less popular outside of a few fringe cases.
The TSM legend did not elaborate further on his financial relationship with the organization during his time as a player.
In the current landscape of the LCS and Riot-ran esports, players have a minimum salary requirement set by the developer that teams in their pro leagues must pay. Money from streaming and sponsorships are negotiated into their contracts, and a set up like Dyrus claims he has is almost unheard of in the modern day.