A legendary AD carry is making his return to LoL pro play in China

One of League of Legends‘ GOATs is finally stepping back onto the professional stage.

Jian “Uzi” Zi-Hao is jumping back into the fray for the 2023 LPL Summer Split by joining Edward Gaming as the organization’s starting AD carry. The 26-year-old will be joined in the bottom lane by fellow veteran Tian “Meiko” Ye as they try to break into the championship conversation once again.

Uzi hasn’t competed in a full split since he retired in 2020 with Royal Never Give Up, but this isn’t his first return to the stage. Last year, the talented phenom joined Bilibili Gaming as a backup marksman behind Chiu “Doggo” Tzu-Chuan. He ended up playing around nine games for the team but ultimately sat back on the bench for the remainder of the year.

Warmly welcome Uzi to EDG！@UziQ4Q pic.twitter.com/Q9pBwhKSjd
— Edward Gaming (@EDG_Edward) June 10, 2023

Considered to be one of the best players to never win a World Championship, Uzi was forced to retire early after suffering multiple different health complications caused by the arduous amounts of time that he spent playing League without proper breaks and care. He was also diagnosed with type II diabetes after dealing with an irregular diet for most of his professional life.

“One time I went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor said my arms are similar to that of a 40 to 50-year-old,” Uzi said in an interview with Nike in 2019. “I often feel like my legs have no strength. The lower part of the body feels like it’s not mine.”

These days, however, many teams have taken extra precautionary steps to care for their players, like hiring nutritionists and personal trainers to help keep these players in shape while they practice for hours on end online. Sitting and playing a game for most of the day can take its toll on a player, especially if they don’t stretch, exercise, and eat well.

The biggest hurdle that Uzi will need to deal with is adjusting to the intense schedule of a pro player. Unlike streaming, competitive play is much more intensive and rigid when it comes to scrims, reviews, and individual practice time. He also has to play against some of the best marksmen in the world, including Chen “GALA” Wei, Zhao “Elk” Jia-Hao, and defending MSI champ Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk.

Meanwhile, Edward Gaming is sitting near the bottom of the LPL regular season standings with a 1-3 series record. They will be facing off against Invictus Gaming next week, where Uzi will finally get to stretch out his wings and shake off the rust for the first time this year.

Catch Uzi in action when he takes the stage on Wednesday, June 14.