jL: “I don’t really regret leaving NAVI, but the timing wasn’t the best.”
Team Vitality stand-in Justinas “jL” Lekavičius spoke in an interview at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 about the victory over Natus Vincere, reflected on his departure from the “Born to Win” starting roster and his search for a new team, and also assessed the current “Bees” roster.
On the victory over Natus Vincere
I didn’t want to get revenge on NAVI at all. Playing against old friends is fun—you know how they play on the server and what they expect from you. I came to this tournament to help Vitality go as far as possible. We’ve already made it to the playoffs, and I’m happy about that.
On leaving NAVI
I don’t really regret leaving NAVI, but the timing wasn’t ideal. After 4–6 months, I was ready to return, but I was still under contract at the time. Right now, no one on the pro scene wants to pay for players. The only exceptions to the rule might be ZywOo or m0NESY. I think I could have just waited for my contract to end and moved to another team, but circumstances turned out differently.
On the search for a new team
I’ve been determined to find a new team since the beginning of this year, but a lot of things just didn’t work out the way I’d hoped. It’s better not to move anywhere at all than to play on a roster that won’t satisfy my thirst for victory.
On Team Vitality
With teammates like these, I have no doubt that we can win this tournament. Of course, we’re missing a key player in apEX, but now we need to put up a solid performance without him. I enjoy playing for Vitality. I feel like part of the family. All the guys are really nice to me. To be honest, I didn’t expect this team to be so friendly.
Read also: Boombl4: “While I was on Cloud 9, I wanted to prove to NAVI that kicking me was a mistake.”
Earlier, Team Vitality defeated Natus Vincere 2-0 in the fourth round of the group stage at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026. With this victory, the team secured a spot in the tournament’s playoffs.
Photo: PGL.
