Esports Legends: Controversy and Glory—The Unyielding Underdogs Who Never Gave Up
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Esports Legends: Controversy and Glory—The Unyielding Underdogs Who Never Gave Up
True强者 never set limits.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsIn 1999, at a lakeside garden apartment in Hangzhou, Jack Ma declared to his gathered team: "Even if Tyson knocks me down, as long as I'm not dead, I'll jump back up and keep fighting!"
Over two decades later, at London's O2 Arena, Faker piloted his champion "Justice Giant" into the battlefield sky, its outstretched wings blotting out the sun, enveloping the championship trophy's glow around him alone.
In the world of cryptocurrency, Justin Sun emerged from allegations of code theft to become an undeniable force in the industry. Their stories differ, yet all prove the same truth: true强者 never set limits.
Moving Forward Amid Controversy: Justin Sun's Blockchain Comeback Journey
In the controversial emerging field of blockchain, Justin Sun is undoubtedly one of the most talked-about figures. His journey from a top student at Peking University to founder of TRON reads like a comeback story forged amid relentless skepticism.
In 2017, Justin Sun founded TRON with the goal of building a decentralized internet. From the outset, the project faced accusations of "code plagiarism," drawing constant criticism from the community. Labeled the "marketing maniac" by investors—a nickname that would follow him throughout his entrepreneurial career.
The real turning point came in 2022. When Sun announced he would join the cryptocurrency exchange Huobi (now Huobi HTX) as an advisor, market reactions were intense. Countless users vented their frustration on social media, with jokes like "the marketing maniac has a new trick" flooding timelines. Rather than retreat, he responded to criticism with concrete action.
Sun led a comprehensive strategic restructuring of Huobi, integrating it into the TRON ecosystem and advancing its compliant development in Hong Kong. These moves gradually earned market recognition. By 2024, the TRON public chain surpassed 200 million total users, daily transactions exceeded Ethereum, stablecoin transfer volume ranked first in the industry for three consecutive years, and TRX market capitalization entered the top ten among cryptocurrencies.
In 2025, a core enterprise within the TRON ecosystem officially rang the opening bell on Nasdaq in the United States, becoming one of the few blockchain projects to enter mainstream capital markets. Standing in the exchange hall, Sun remarked: "The value of blockchain isn't in short-term fluctuations, but in whether it can truly change the world."
His vision extended beyond Earth. That same year, Sun participated in Blue Origin’s spaceflight program, becoming the first blockchain entrepreneur to travel to space. After returning, he wrote on social media: "From space, Earth's borders disappear—this embodies the spirit of blockchain: borderless, open, free."
That year, he also appeared on the cover of Forbes, completing a transformation from "controversial figure" to "industry leader."
Amid flowers and applause, he still insisted on "starting anew." During the TOKEN2049 summit in Singapore on October 1, Sun launched SunPerp, TRON’s decentralized perpetual contract exchange. Entering this new arena late, he quickly surged ahead—within less than two months, cumulative trading volume surpassed 5.1 billion USDT.
From being mocked online as a "marketing maniac" to leading TRON’s Nasdaq debut; from widespread backlash upon joining Huobi to landing on the Forbes list; from facing code-copying allegations to building the world’s largest decentralized application ecosystem—Justin Sun’s entrepreneurial journey perfectly illustrates: true强者 aren’t those who never fall, but those who find direction and strength to rise again each time they do.
E-Sports Legend: Faker, From Dethroned King to Six-Time Champion
In 2017, on the finals stage at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium, Faker and his SKT T1 team faced off against the formidable SSG.
Confident and aiming for an unprecedented three-peat, his dream shattered on the battlefield. As defeat set in, Faker burst into tears, head bowed on the desk, unwilling to leave. The image of him glancing back at the trophy beside him became known as a “masterpiece” in e-sports history.
At that moment, he likely never imagined it would take six long years before he’d reclaim the world title in 2023. E-sports is a young person’s game—many players see performance decline around age 20. Yet at 28, Faker continued writing an immortal legend.
As he aged, Faker evolved from the “Demon King” who carried games through individual skill to a “control master” emphasizing teamwork. In the 2025 S15 semifinal against TES, his Galio supported teammates every two minutes, using awareness and leadership to offset slight reaction delays.
When 29-year-old Faker, donning the T1 jersey, lifted the Summoner’s Cup for the sixth time in 2025, the entire e-sports world was stunned.
In an industry where 23 is considered a “veteran” and 25 earns a “retirement countdown” label, this nearly thirty-year-old player shattered age bias with a new championship trophy.
Entrepreneurship Never Dies: Jack Ma and the Eighteen Arhats’ Lakeside Garden Miracle
February 20, 1999—Lunar New Year’s Day—the 15 founders gathered in a modest apartment in Lakeside Garden, Xihu District, Hangzhou. The room was nearly bare, with only a broken sofa in one corner; most sat on the floor while Jack Ma stood in the center, speaking for two full hours.
Jin Jianhang, who handled photography and video recording at the time, recalled: "What did everyone’s eyes look like in the photos? Lost. Hollow."
The reason for their confusion: Ma outlined three visions. First, build a company that lasts 80 years. Second, become one of the world’s top ten websites. Third, ensure every businessperson uses Alibaba. Looking back, Jin said: "For us 15 people, the idea of an 80-year company felt irrelevant; saying we’d be among the world’s top ten sites? Nobody believed it then." Amid chaos and excitement, Alibaba began growing.
On its very first day, Alibaba gained dozens of customers. Soon after, it added over a hundred daily. Someone even kept a notebook tracking new customers each day. Within half a year, they had accumulated 20,000. But tough times soon arrived. The 500,000 yuan pooled by the team was meant to last ten months—but within months, it was completely gone. For two months, the founders endured life without pay or hope.
"We'd hail a taxi, see it’s a Santana, raise our hands—but then chat casually with the driver until a Xiali came along, then we’d get in," Jin recalled. Even under these conditions, Ma turned down 38 investors. The reason? Their offers were too short-sighted or self-serving, even demanding direct control over operations.
The turning point came with Joe Tsai’s arrival.
This Taiwan-born Yale graduate—holding a bachelor’s in Economics and East Asian Studies and a law degree from Yale Law School—flew from Hong Kong to Hangzhou in 1999 upon hearing about Alibaba. After four days of deep talks with Ma, he made a seemingly crazy decision: leaving behind a $700,000 annual salary and a stable job at an international investment firm to join Alibaba for a monthly salary of 500 yuan.
During sweltering summer nights in Lakeside Garden, a sweat-drenched Joe Tsai stood before the whiteboard, teaching the first batch of employees about shares and rights, drafting 18 fully compliant, internationally standard English contracts for Ma and the "Eighteen Arhats" to sign. Without someone like Joe, Alibaba might have remained a family-run business held together by "emotion," "ideals," and "brotherhood." His arrival ensured Alibaba was born professional and global from the start.
In 2014, Alibaba listed on the New York Stock Exchange with a staggering market cap of around $230 billion. Ma naturally ascended to the rank of China’s richest man.
Ma once said: "Today is brutal, tomorrow is beautiful, but most people die tonight. Never forget your dream from day one."
From Lakeside Garden to the New York Stock Exchange, it was the spirit of rising again after every fall that carried Ma and the Eighteen Arhats to the end.
After winning his fifth championship, Faker was asked what he’d say to his younger self from 11 years ago when he first won. He smiled and replied: "Enjoy the game."
During Alibaba’s early days, Ma often encouraged his team: "Even if Tyson knocks me down, as long as I’m not dead, I’ll jump back up and keep fighting!"
And Justin Sun once said: "Entrepreneurship is ultimately about changing the world, not proving who’s right or wrong—but these unforgettable humiliations and pressures are precisely what fuel the drive to strive!"
Fate can knock you down, but it can’t stop you from rising again—that may be the best interpretation of “强者 never set limits.”
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