Faker sends heartfelt message to Uzi after retirement announcement

Olivia Richman Published 07/06/2020

Few were shocked when Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao retired from League of Legends last week due to his ongoing health problems. That doesn’t mean people weren’t saddened by the news, though. 

Uzi first reported serious injuries last year, revealing in an interview that he had terrible arm pain that kept him from scrimming with his Royal Never Give Up teammates. He then became a free agent, leading many to wonder if the benched veteran would be signed to RNG again, or if he was set to go elsewhere. Instead, Uzi announced his retirement due to developing diabetes. 

While Uzi stated that he would love to return to competitive League of Legends if his health improves, for now the scene has lost a legendary AD Carry. 

In response to Uzi’s departure, T1’s mid laner Sang-hyeok “Faker” Lee, another LoL legend, expressed his admiration for Uzi. His recorded video messages on Twitter expressed that he couldn’t quite believe that Uzi was retiring.

“He’s always been hard working, so it’s a great pity that he’s now retired,” Faker explained. 

Faker admitted that his heart felt “heavy” when he thought of Uzi leaving the competitive scene. He also urged Uzi’s fans to continue supporting him, no matter his decision. 

As highly respected and talented players in the League of Legends community, it’s no surprise that Uzi and Faker have had many encounters. They both started their careers around 2012 and have faced each other in various international competitions. Because of this, they clearly have a lot of respect for one another. 

In 2019, they met at Worlds and complimented each other for their playstyles. They also shared a lot of the same views on a variety of topics. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

Esports Betting

The Best LCS Summer Split Week 7 Odds: Upsets On The Horizon? Ben Boland The LoL betting world is in for a treat this weekend as the LCS Summer Split regular season enters its final week. Everything is to play for, from the battle for first place to who starts life in the upper bracket. Esports betting sites are unsurprisingly covering the games extensively, and here my tips to bet on for each LCS match this weekend. This is a series that could go ...

League of Legends

LEC Playoffs Round 1 Betting Tips: G2 vs Vitality & Karmine Corp vs GIANTX Ben Boland The 2026 LEC Summer Playoffs are finally here in the world of LoL betting. After weeks of regular-season action, the battle to get to Worlds 2026 is heating up. Team Vitality, G2 Esports, GiantX, and Karmine Corp start their playoff run in the upper bracket. Both sets of matches have a lot of betting potential, with some decent value to be found. Here are some of the best bets to ...

League of Legends

Caps Hall of Legends skins prices and dates revealed Hannan Mundia Caps is the latest League of Legends player to be inducted into the Hall of Legends, and the LEC player’s dedicated skins have been revealed, including their prices and release dates. The Hall of Legends is Riot Games’ way to honor a handful of the most well-known and celebrated professional players associated with LoL. The first inductee was naturally Faker, while the second was Uzi. The third player is Caps, ...

League of Legends

Five Support Champions To Pick Up in LoL Patch 26.17 Ben Boland The support meta in League of Legends is one of the most highly discussed roles in the game right now. With Riot doubling down on the roaming support playstyle, we will likely see more champions added to the pool around the time of Worlds 2026, which begins on 15 October. At the time of writing this article, the current patch, 26.17, is being tested on the PBE, with the launch ...

League of Legends

These Are Five Top Lane Champions To Pick Up in League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland League of Legends patch 26.17 is just around the corner, and with that patch comes more changes to the role. The days of ADCs in the lane are starting to be a thing of the past, with more bruisers hitting the gym before the launch of 26.17. Many top laners are receiving buffs on the new patch, while powerhouses such as Nasus and Vayne are on the chopping block, making ...

League of Legends

Here Is What To Expect From the League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland It’s less than a week until the release of League of Legends Patch 26.17, and with this patch comes some significant nerfs to popular champions, item adjustments, and targeting roaming supports as mage bottom lanes dominate the meta. While there is plenty to unpack in this week's patch from Riot Games, two champions, Vayne and Xerath, have received the biggest nerfs across the board. Here are some of the biggest ...

League of Legends

Trade on LGD vs Bilibili Gaming at Polymarket — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR Ben Boland Bilibili Gaming comes into their best-of-three series against LGD Gaming as the overwhelming favorites, with Polymarket traders giving the MSI finalists an 83% implied probability of winning at the time of writing this article. The prediction market doesn’t give LGD much of a chance at all, and with traders backing BLG heavily, it paints a picture of who is most likely to win this series in the LPL Split 3, ...