LPL team Royal Never Give Up revealed its official roster for the 2020 LPL Summer Split earlier today, but it doesn’t include legendary AD carry Uzi.
Rumors that he’d ultimately leave the League of Legends team started circulating after he didn’t play at all during the Spring Split. Uzi’s contract with RNG also expired on April 30, making him a free agent. The team hasn’t revealed any information on the situation since, however.
This silence worries many of Uzi’s fans who fear he might announce that he’s retiring from his career as a League pro. He started playing in 2012 but has suffered several injuries that could put his career in jeopardy.
This news could also mean that Uzi has joined a team in another region but the move was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic or that he’s still negotiating a contract with another team.
Related: Former RNG top laner Langx joins LGD
Uzi revealed in a documentary that he couldn’t play for over a couple of hours in a row because of arm and lower body injuries. A doctor reportedly told him that his arm resembled that of a 40 or 50-year-old man because of years of intense training in League.
His health was rumored to have worsened during the LPL Spring Split, too. A Weibo photo showed that he was reportedly recovering from toe surgery and he had other minor injuries on top of those previously revealed.
After eight years of competition, Uzi came close to his ultimate goal of becoming a League world champion several times but he hasn’t achieved it yet. In 2018, he was considered the most popular player and the best ADC in the world.
He competed in two World Championship finals in 2013 and 2014. In his first year with RNG, he lost to SKT T1 in the quarterfinals, who became the 2016 world champions.
Then, 2018 seemed to be his time to shine. With RNG, Uzi won both of the LPL splits and took home the Mid-Season Invitational title. The team came into Worlds as the favorites.
But they faltered in the playoffs and lost in the quarterfinals against G2 Esports in one of the closest World playoffs matches in League history. RNG then fell from grace in 2019 by not being able to grab any titles, even though they qualified for Worlds.
It’s unclear if Uzi will play again in the Summer Split, take time off until 2021, or sign with another team soon.
