Uzi retires from League of Legends due to injuries

Royal Never Give Up bot laner Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao has officially retired from League of Legends, citing ongoing injuries. 

Uzi joined Royal Never Give Up way back in 2012, before having brief stints with OMG and Qiao Gu Reapers in 2016, before he returned to RNG in 2017.

Announcing his retirement on Royal Never Give Up’s Twitter account, the post read: “Uzi was not only the heart and soul of RNG, but also an icon in the esports world as a whole. 

“From a teenager onwards he never gave up and worked as hard as he could to be the best he could in his role, he inspired many.”

Uzi is considered one of the greatest bot laners of all time in League of Legends, winning two LPL championships, the Mid-Season Invitational and the 2018 Asian Games gold medal. He didn’t however win a world championship title, being a runner-up twice at Worlds 2013 and 2014. 

In recent years, he’s suffered with injuries which affected his shoulder and arms - with a doctor once describing him as having “arms similar to that of a 40 to 50-year-old”. 

A statement from RNG cited these injuries as a reason behind Uzi’s retirement, stating: “Due to injuries accumulated over 8 years of high intensity training, at the suggestion of medical professionals, Uzi was advised to rest during the 2020 LPL spring split. 

Uzi won MSI back in 2018 (Picture: Riot Games)

“After spring a decision was made and we understood and respected his wishes, and will continue to assist him. 

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