Uzi retires from professional League of Legends due to poor health

Former LPL champion and Worlds finalist Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao retired from professional League of Legends today because of injuries and poor health. The 23-year-old has chosen to end his career in light of advice from medical professionals.

Over the course of his career, Uzi accumulated pain in his arms, shoulders, and legs. Playing League for hours on end took a toll on his health, preventing him from competing and forcing him to take regular breaks from the game. 

“One time I went to the hospital for a check-up and the doctor said my arms are similar to that of a 40 to 50-year-old,” Uzi said in an interview with Nike last year. “I often feel like my legs have no strength. The lower part of the body feels like it’s not mine.”

“Due to chronic stress, obesity, irregular diet, staying up late, and other reasons, I have been diagnosed with type II diabetes during last year’s check-up,” Uzi said today.

Uzi first considered retiring in 2015 after complaining about shoulder pain during a team boot camp with the LPL’s Oh My God. Despite his ongoing struggle with pain, he went on to dominate in his domestic league, winning multiple titles and performing well on the international stage. 

Ahead of the 2020 LPL Spring Split, Uzi was advised to rest. After the season came to a close, he made the decision to step away from competing and retire. 

“Even in retirement, Uzi is still an important member of the RNG family,” RNG said. “In addition to doing everything we can to assist him in his future endeavors, we will also be by his side to help him on his journey to injury recovery.”

In January, Uzi won Person of the Year at Weibo’s annual awards show with 486,786,212 votes, beating Chinese actors, celebrities, and musicians.

Over his eight-year career, Uzi won three LPL splits, the Mid-Season Invitational, and Asian Games. In both seasons three and four, he placed second at Worlds, losing to Faker’s SKT and Samsung White.

Uzi will be remembered as one of the greatest ADCs in League history. His aggressive playstyle revolutionized his role and inspired many.