After complications created by a COVID infection, professionalLeague of Legendsplayer Pavle “Yoppa” Kostić has passed away. A professionalLeague of Legendsplayer since 2016, Yoppa’s death came as a shock to the community, as he unexpectly died on November 23.
Yoppa, the Serbian native who was known for his impressive toplane play, first burst onto theLeague of Legendspro scene in 2016, specifically making a name for himself in the UKLeague of Legendssphere.Known for playingLeague of Legendschampionslike Shen, Trundle and Maokai, Yoppa was well-known for being able to put a team on his back, especially where teamfights were concerned. In September of 2016, after only a short time as aLeague of Legendspro, Yoppa earned Esports News UK’s “MVP of the Week” award for his performance as Gnar.
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Yoppa was an integral part of many teams over his pro career, joining Lions EK, TTD Toybox and TCA eSports all in the space of 2016. More recently, Yoppa was a member of the academy teams of Vitality and Mad Lions, and joined Schalke Evolution. An outpouring of grief from many of Schalke’s former teammates, team owners, media members and more has hit social media since the announcement of Yoppa’s death on Twitter.
One of the first to respond to the news was Team Vitality’s new owner, Fabian “Neo” Devide. Like many others, Team Vitality expressed their deepest condolences to Yoppa’s family, remembered Yoppa’s finest moments, and shared their sadness with the world. Over his memorable career, Yoppa was involved with manyLeague of Legendsplayers who are now well-known in both the pro and casual scenes respectively. Raizins, the support player who is now a streamer for London Esports, and Deadly, the ADC who has just departed from BT Excel, are but two of many names that played with Yoppa.
Schalke 04 Evolution, Yoppa’s latest team, had recently won third place in the PRM Pro Division 2021 Winter Cup. With Yoppa as their toplaner, the team had earned third place again at the PRM Pro Division 2021 Spring Playoffs. Schalke Evolution has also shared their grief publicly, stating: “We are shocked and speechless. FC Schalke 04 Esports mourns Pavle “Yoppa” Kostić. Our condolences go out to his family, loved ones and friends. We will always cherish his memory.”
Hundreds of others have shared their grief over Twitter and other social media following this shocking and sudden passing of a professionalLeague of Legendsplayer whose career had only just begun.
