Meet Ireland’s ‘LeBron James’ of Microsoft Excel Diarmuid Early

Irishman Diarmuid Early emerged into the HyperX arena in Las Vegas under bright lights, dramatic music and fanfare worthy of any major sports final.

Only this time, instead of a ball there was a keyboard and mouse, and the playing field was a simple desktop setup.

Known as the “LeBron James of Excel spreadsheets”, Galway-born and Waterford-raised Diarmuid is now the world’s best worksheet expert.

He won the 2025 Microsoft Excel World Championship, where the $60,000 (£45,726) prize transformed the computer program from the office to a high-stakes spectacle.

The esports showpiece in December attracted competitors from around the world as 256 spreadsheet majors competed in the knockout rounds to join the final 24 in Vegas.

It may seem strange, but Diarmuid explained how the intense atmosphere of the final is what keeps discussions going.

“Most of the time you’re playing alone at home and it’s very calm and collected,” he said.

“But when you get to Vegas, it’s insane. You just hear everyone roaring, but you don’t know why, it’s busy.

“It happens in this esports arena, where there are hundreds of people in the stands watching and yelling, and the commentators make the decisions.

“They give you headphones, but they don’t have noise canceling, and even if they had I don’t know if it would be enough.”

Vegas is a long way from work, but the tournament was every bit as competitive.

Diarmuid explained that timed elimination begins in the final round, so every five minutes, the people in last place are eliminated.

“So you’re just coming in, figuring out how it’s going to work, and you’ll just hear: ‘Thanks for playing, you’re out’,” he said.

“You’re constantly watching your back.”

A three-time champion in the Financial Excel tournament, the win was Diarmuid’s first win in the overall competition.

He finished second to triple-world champion Andrew Ngai and won a $5,000 (£3,737) prize and the title belt.

“It was extremely exciting,” Diarmuid told BBC News NI.

“I went into the pre-tournament as one of the favorites and I have a suffocating record.

“So it was nice to deliver for once.”

He added: “In the last 10 or 15 minutes of the final in Ireland my mother woke up and had a seizure.

“It’s like an eight-hour time difference so she was awake and tuning in.”

Excel eSports turns a common office tool into a dynamic game.

More than 20 years old, the competitive landscape has shifted from being finance based to one that involves more general problem solving.

Although this can help, Diarmuid said, “it does not require accounting or finance knowledge”.

He described an example where Excel is used to solve mazes, score poker hands, or even sort the kings and queens in the battles in which they fought.

Challenges are typically 30 minutes long, with each challenge divided into levels.

The difficulty of the questions gradually increases, with each correct answer earning points for the player.

Whoever gets the most points wins, and in a tie, it’s whoever gets there first.

“It’s just, can you think on your feet and get things done fast in Excel?” He said.

“If you solve the earlier levels cleanly, it will allow you to move on to the later levels faster.”

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Now living in New York, Diarmuid has set up his own financial business, where his skills and proficiency with spreadsheets have not gone unnoticed.

“I have clients who approach me like this: ‘Hey, we heard there’s this Excel competition and there’s this guy who wins it.

“‘He’s in New York and we’re in New York and you know, can we work together?'”

Asked if he would consider starting a TikTok or Instagram account, he laughed.

“that sounds terrible.

“By the way I have a YouTube channel, so I post my walkthroughs and live solves on it.”

Despite their hesitation towards short-form social media, the competitive Excel landscape continues to grow across various platforms.

For anyone who wants to join in on the spreadsheeting madness, now is as good a time as ever.

“There’s an extremely active community, we have this huge WhatsApp group for different things people want to talk about.

“We’re adding new people all the time,” he said.

“A lot of people also contact you for help trying to get on the scene. I get that a lot.”

Diarmuid is known as “Dim” to esports fans, but the Investor’s Business Daily article titled “Meet the LeBron James of Excel Spreadsheets” has caused a stir in the community.

Asked about his thoughts on being compared to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, he said, “I mean, the name has staying power.”

Laughing, he said: “That must be because I’m unusually tall.

“I try not to take myself too seriously, I enjoy the comedy side and try to leave it there.”

Are you an Excel expert? Signups are now live for the first “Road to Las Vegas Battle” taking place on January 22, 2026