The Golden State Warriors League of Legends team Golden Guardians are expected to hire coach Choi "Locodoco" Yoon-seop, sources close to the team and coach told ESPN.
The team will also bring on former Riot Games and Yahoo Esports Hunter Leigh as an operations manager, sources said. The position will be Leigh's first since Yahoo laid off its esports staff following the company's $4.5-billion acquisition by Verizon.
The Golden State Warriors declined to comment.
Locodoco and Leigh have begun scouting players ahead of the opening of the free agency period on Nov. 21.
The Golden Guardians brand is set to launch on Monday. Its parent company, the Golden State Warriors, were accepted into the League of Legends Championship Series as a permanent partner in October.
The push for the 2017 NBA Champions to apply for the league was led by majority owner Joe Lacob and his son, assistant GM Kirk Lacob. The Warriors will pay $13 million in franchise fees over the next few years.
The Golden Guardians are one of four new franchises in the league. The other three are a mix of basketball franchises and one endemic esports team. That includes Houston Rockets-owned Clutch City Gaming and 100 Thieves, which is owned by Dan Gilbert's Cleveland Cavaliers and affiliate venture capital firms. OpTic Gaming will round out the league's roster.