Esports Legends: Controversies and Crowns - Those Unyielding Comeback Artists

In 1999, at the West Lake Garden in Hangzhou, Jack Ma declared to the team sitting around him: “Even if Tyson knocks me down, as long as I am not dead, I will get up and continue to fight!”

More than twenty years later, at the O2 Arena in London, England, Faker appears on the battlefield controlling his hero “Justice Golem”, his outstretched wings blocking out the sun, casting the glory of the championship trophy solely upon himself.

In the world of virtual currencies, Sun Yuchen has emerged from the doubts of code theft to become an undeniable force in the industry. Their stories are different, but they all affirm the same truth: true strong individuals never set limits.

Moving Forward Amid Controversy: Sun Yuchen's Blockchain Comeback Road

In the controversial emerging field of blockchain, Sun Yuchen is undoubtedly one of the most talked-about figures. His journey from a top student at Peking University to the founder of TRON can be described as a story of resilience that constantly rises amidst skepticism.

In 2017, Sun Yuchen founded TRON, aiming to build a decentralized internet. In the early stages of the project, it faced accusations of “code theft,” and criticism from the community was incessant. He was dubbed a “marketing genius” by investors - a label that has followed him throughout his entrepreneurial career.

The real turning point came in 2022. When Sun Yuchen announced his advisory role at the cryptocurrency trading platform Huobi (now Huobi HTX), the market reacted strongly. Countless users vented their grievances on social media, mocking that “the marketing guru is at it again” instantly went viral. In the face of overwhelming criticism, he did not choose to retreat but responded to the doubts with concrete actions.

Sun Yuchen has conducted a comprehensive strategic restructuring of Huobi, integrating it into the TRON ecosystem and promoting its compliant development in Hong Kong. This series of initiatives has gradually gained market recognition. In 2024, the total number of users on the TRON public chain surpassed 200 million, with daily transaction numbers exceeding Ethereum, while the volume of stablecoin transfers has ranked first in the industry for three consecutive years, and the market value of TRX has successfully entered the top ten cryptocurrencies.

In 2025, the core enterprise of the TRON ecosystem officially rang the bell on the Nasdaq in the United States, becoming one of the few blockchain projects to enter the mainstream capital market. Standing in the exchange hall, Justin Sun remarked, “The value of blockchain does not lie in short-term fluctuations, but in whether it can truly change the world.”

His vision does not stop at Earth. In the same year, Sun Yuchen participated in Blue Origin's space flight program, becoming the first blockchain entrepreneur to enter space. After returning from space, he wrote on social media: “From space, looking at Earth, the boundaries disappear, which is precisely the embodiment of the spirit of blockchain – borderless, open, and free.”

It was also in this year that he graced the cover of Forbes, completing his transformation from a “controversial figure” to an “industry leader.”

Amidst the embrace of flowers and applause, he still insists on “taking a step back to leap forward.” During the TOKEN2049 summit in Singapore on October 1, Sun Yuchen launched the TRON ecosystem decentralized perpetual contract exchange SunPerp. He has made a late entry into the new track, and in less than two months since its launch, the accumulated trading amount has exceeded 5.1 billion USDT.

From being ridiculed by the entire internet as a “marketing maniac” to leading TRON to ring the bell on NASDAQ; from facing a chorus of criticism upon joining Huobi to making it onto the Forbes list; from doubts about code plagiarism to building the world's largest decentralized application ecosystem—Justin Sun's entrepreneurial journey perfectly illustrates that a true strong person is not someone who never falls, but someone who can find the direction and strength to stand up again after every fall.

Esports Legend: Faker, from Falling from the Throne to Six Championships

In 2017, on the finals stage at the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, Faker and his team SKT T1 faced a strong opponent, the SSG team.

At that time, he was full of confidence, eager to achieve an unprecedented three consecutive championships, but ultimately his dreams were shattered on the field. In that moment when the championship dream was broken, Faker shed tears on the field, unwilling to leave the table for a long time. The still photo of him standing next to the trophy, looking back with a gaze, is referred to as the “world-famous painting” in the history of esports.

At that time, he probably didn't expect that it would take six long years of waiting to once again stand at the pinnacle of the world in 2023. Esports is a youth-dominated field, and many players face a decline in their performance around the age of 20. However, 28-year-old Faker continues to write the immortal legend of esports.

As the years go by, Faker has actively transformed from the “Demon King” who relied on individual play to carry the game, into a “Control Master” who emphasizes teamwork. In the semifinals against TES in the 2025 S15, his Galio supported teammates once every two minutes on average, compensating for slight gaps in reaction time with awareness and leadership.

When Faker, 29 years old in 2025, dons the T1 jersey and lifts the Summoner's Cup for the sixth time, the entire esports community is shocked by this scene.

In an industry where being considered a “veteran” at 23 and labeled with a “retirement countdown” at 25 is common, this player, approaching the age of 30, has shattered the age bias against esports players with a new championship trophy.

Entrepreneurship Never Dies: The Miracle of Jack Ma and the Eighteen Arhats at the Lakeside Garden

On February 20, 1999, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, 15 people gathered together in an ordinary residence of the Lakeside Garden in the West Lake District of Hangzhou. The room was almost bare, with only a broken sofa placed on one side, and most people sat on the floor while Jack Ma stood in the middle speaking for a full two hours.

At that time, Jin Jianhang, who was in charge of photography and videography, recalled: “What were everyone's expressions like in the photos? They were all confused and hollow.”

The reasons for confusion are that Jack Ma mentioned three points of vision: First, to create a company that will sustain for 80 years; Second, to become one of the top ten websites in the world; Third, any businessman must use Alibaba. Jin Jianhang later reflected: “For the more than ten of us, proposing to create a company that lasts for 80 years seemed like a goal that had nothing to do with us; when talking about the top ten websites in the world, no one believed it at all.” Amid the joy and chaos, Alibaba developed little by little.

On the first day Alibaba went live, it already had dozens of customers, and soon, it was able to add more than a hundred customers each day. Someone even kept a diary to record the number of new customers added each day. After half a year, they surprisingly accumulated twenty thousand customers. However, the most difficult days quietly arrived. Everyone pooled together 500,000, initially planning to last for 10 months, but within just a few months, it was all gone. As a result, the entrepreneurs had to endure two months without money and without hope.

“We were hailing a taxi, and when we saw it was a Santana, I had already raised my hand. I just chatted with the taxi driver for a bit and then got in when I saw a Xiali.” Jin Jianhang recalled. In such circumstances, Jack Ma actually rejected 38 investors. The reason is simple: those investments were too shortsighted or utilitarian, and some even wanted to directly intervene in operations.

The transformation comes from the joining of Cai Chongxin.

This Taiwanese person, who holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and East Asian Studies from Yale University and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, heard about Alibaba in 1999 and immediately flew from Hong Kong to Hangzhou to discuss investment. After a 4-day in-depth conversation with Jack Ma, he made what seemed like a crazy decision - to give up a $700,000 annual salary and a stable job at an international investment firm to join Alibaba, with a monthly salary of 500 yuan.

On a sweltering summer night at the lakeside garden, drenched in sweat, Cai Chongxin faced the whiteboard, explaining shares and rights to the first batch of employees, and drafted 18 English contracts that fully complied with international practices for Jack Ma and the other “Eighteen Arhats” to sign. Without someone like Cai Chongxin joining, Alibaba might have been destined to be a family business, relying on so-called “feelings,” “ideals,” and “brotherhood” to maintain the team. Cai's arrival gradually formalized and internationalized Alibaba from its inception.

In 2014, Alibaba went public on the New York Stock Exchange, with a market value reaching an astonishing approximately $230 billion. Jack Ma naturally ascended to the throne of China's richest person.

Jack Ma once said: “Today is very cruel, but the day after tomorrow is very beautiful. Most people die tonight, so never forget your dream from the first day.” From the Lakeview Garden to the New York Stock Exchange, it is the spirit of always being able to stand up again after falling that has supported Jack Ma and the eighteen Arhats to reach the end.

In the post-match interview after his fifth championship, Faker was asked what he would say to his 11-years-ago self when he first won the championship. He smiled and replied, “Enjoy the game.”

Jack Ma often encouraged his team in the early days of his entrepreneurship: “Even if Tyson knocks me down, as long as I'm not dead, I will get up and continue fighting!”

Sun Yuchen once said, “Entrepreneurship is ultimately about changing the world, not proving who is right or wrong. However, these deeply ingrained humiliations and motivations are also a source of strength for striving!”

Fate can knock you down, but it cannot stop you from standing up again—perhaps this is the best interpretation of “the strong never set limits.”