ESports star Jian Zihao unexpectedly announced his retirement on Wednesday, citing obesity, diabetes and a hand injury among the reasons that he is electing to step away. Zihao, 23, goes by "Uzi" in the eSports world and was one of the star players on the Chinese League of Legends team Royal Never Give Up.
"I regret to tell everyone that I am retiring," Uzi wrote to his nearly five million followers on the Chinese blogging platform Weibo. "Because of chronic stress, obesity, irregular diet, staying up late and other reasons, I was found to have Type-2 diabetes during a physical examination last year."
On Twitter, Royal Never Give Up said that 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."
As of today, LPL0006 @UziRNG will officially retire. 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. pic.twitter.com/wsqqOnqE4o
— Royal Never Give Up (@RNGRoyal) June 3, 2020
Uzi primarily played League of Legends. He made his debut pro eSports back in 2012. Royal Never Give Up pointed to his injuries as a result of "over eight years of high-intensity training" from a young age as a reason for his retirement. In an interview with Nike in 2019, Uzi said that doctors told him he had "the arms of someone at least twice his age," according to ESPN.
Royal Never Give up is one of multiple organizations Uzi player League of Legends with. He left them in 2015 and joined OMG, and later Qiao Gu Reapers, before Royal Club (which became Royal Never Give Up), ESPN reported.
