Uzi confirms he will miss LPL Summer split

Iconic League of Legends ADC Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao has confirmed that he will not play in the upcoming Summer split of the League of Legends Pro League, China’s top league for the game, after being released by Bilibili Gaming.

Uzi returned from an 18-month retirement ahead of the 2022 LPL Spring split, signing with Bilibili Gaming. However, he was benched after just nine matches and released by the organization on June 1.

Uzi not returning for Summer split

Speaking during a stream on June 3, Uzi made comments about his immediate future within League of Legends.

“I’m resting during the summer split…Ah, a lot of things can’t be helped. The only thing that can be done is, if I could be a bit stronger then there wouldn’t be that many problems, but my form hasn’t been that great. A lot of things can’t be helped. If I could be a bit stronger, just a bit, bit, bit stronger, then there wouldn’t be so many ‘ifs.’”

Uzi went on to say that he would be focusing on streaming for the time being. The 25-year-old initially retired from professional League of Legends in 2020, citing health problems. His career began with Royal Club in 2012, but he is best known for his time with RNG, whom he played for from 2016 to 2020. During that time, he won a Mid Season Invitational title in 2016 and reached the semifinals of the 2017 World Championships.

He returned to the LPL in December 2021, signing with Bilibili Gaming. However, his tenure lasted just nine matches. While he recorded a 4.5 KDA, Bilibili Gaming went 4-5 and Uzi was benched in favor of Bilibili’s other offseason acquisition — Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan. Following the conclusion of the Mid Season Invitational, Bilibili traded for RNG’s top laner Chen “Bin” Ze-Bin and released Uzi.

As for Bilibili Gaming, they will enter the 2022 Summer split with Doggo as the starting ADC, and new acquisition Bin in the top lane. The team will be looking to improve on their seventh-place finish and qualify for an international tournament for the first time in the organization’s history.

As for Uzi, the future remains unclear. For the moment, he appears content to focus on himself and streaming as opposed to professional play. But on the other side of the coin, questions remain if there is an organization that views him as a viable player for the team. Only time will tell what Uzi decides to do.

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