UPDATED – Uzi officially retires

UPDATED: Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao, one of the most decorated AD Carries of all time has officially retired from professional League of Legends.

Uzi had long been struggling with injuries and health issues, even as he made his mark as one of the world’s best AD Carries. With increasing strain on his body the veteran has decided to hang up his mouse and keyboard for good.

Since his debut in 2012 Uzi established himself as one of the most mechanically gifted players in the scene. Although he amassed several titles in his careers, including two LPL titles and one victory at the Mid-Season Invitational, the coveted worlds title remained out of his reach as he fell just short twice, taking the runner-up spots in 2013 and 2014.

Declining health

Uzi had been struggling with health issues for a long time, especially his shoulders and arms were struggling to keep up with the strain of playing professionally. As early as 2015 he had already considered retirement as he was pushing his body to his limits. In his detailed Weibo post he further expanded upon the many health issues he is facing.

The unbalanced lifestyle of a professional player with unreliable sleeping schedules, mental stress and unhealthy diet contributed to his type two Diabetes, which he was diagnosed with half a year ago. Although he has tried to adjust his lifestyle during the last six months his condition has not improved at all: His glycated hemoglobin index reached 11%, which should normally be less than or equal to 6.5%. Medication to combat that also contributed to his mental health declining and his doctors warned him that serious complications would arise soon if he did not make drastic changes.

In the end he had to accept that his body was unable to keep up fighting anymore. Although he will step down from RNG as an active player he will continue to work with them for his future career.

Over his eight-year career Uzi has blazed a trail as one of the most iconic AD Carries of all time and will be remembered as a revolutionary for his role.

Original article from June 2:
Chinese team Royal Never Give Up have announced their new roster that’ll play in the upcoming LPL Summer Split. Among all the names a very important one is missing, as Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao has not signed another contract with the organization after becoming a free agent in May.

Uzi was with the organization for a long time, joining in October 2012 back when Royal Never Give Up was still known as Royal Club. He left the organization for a while in 2014 playing for teams such as Oh My God and Qiao Gu Reapers but he came back in May 2016. After four more years, he has now opted not to return.

The Chinese ADC still hasn’t played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as he wasn’t able to travel. The travel ban has since been lifted, but Uzi chose not to join his team. It’s currently unclear if this decision was the result of Uzi’s health, as he has suffered multiple injuries that he still struggles with to this day, or not. Uzi’s choice not to return to Royal Never Give Up once again raises questions about his possible retirement, something he has been vocal about in the past.

RNG has opted to continue using Lu “Betty” Yu-Hung as their starting ADC for the Summer Split. Among the new players we also spot some new names such as mid laner Yuan “Cryin” Cheng-Wei and the two top laners Tian “New” Zhi-Peng and He “705” Yu-Long. 

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