Uzi addresses his retirement and if he will ever return to professional play

William Davis Published 24/10/2020

It doesn’t seem impossible that the legendary bot laner Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao will make a return to professional League of Legends.

The former Royal Never Give Up bot laner retired back in May due to health issues. It came as a shock to many that such a prominent name in the League of Legends scene would retire this early, but the Chinese bot laner had to listen to the medical advice given to him. 

After months away from the big stage, Uzi has now addressed if he will ever come back to playing professionally. He got asked the question live on one of his recent streams, where he answered that it depends on his health condition and if he can keep up in the game on an individual basis. 

“There are lots of uncertainties. Firstly, it depends on my health and recovery,” Uzi said on stream. “My health is heading in the right direction. I’ve been exercising every day.”

The fact that Uzi has seemingly been following the medical advice given to him earlier this year makes it way more likely that we will see him back in professional play. Uzi further addressed that he is practicing solo queue as much as a professional player would, playing eight to nine games almost every day. 

Since his retirement, Uzi has been streaming regularly and kept up with the game. He has by no means moved on from the game despite being retired. Uzi retired against his will because of injuries in his hands and shoulders. In a documentary last year, Uzi revealed that he couldn’t play for more than two hours straight, but that seems to be better now. 

Uzi making a return to professional LoL wouldn’t only make thousands of fans happy, but also give the legendary bot laner another shot at a Worlds title. Uzi is considered the best player to never win a World Championship by many, after reaching the final twice without winning. Uzi has participated at six World Championships, won the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational, and two LPL trophies. 

Even though a return might not be in the cards for Uzi right now, fans can always hope for it to happen someday. 

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