Malaysia’s top shuttler Lee Zii Jia raised eyebrows recently after he shared a series of black-and-white artworks on social media, leading supporters to speculate about his mental and emotional well-being.
But don’t panic just yet. The National Sports Council (NSC) has stepped in to assure the public that the 27-year-old is doing just fine.
‘No need to overthink it’
According to Oriental Daily, NSC Director-General Jeffri Ngadirin said both the council and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh have reached out to Team LZJ to better understand the reason behind the posts.
His team told us there’s nothing to worry about,” said Jeffri. “It could simply be that Zii Jia has a personal interest in that art style and wanted to share it.”
The mysterious posts, which have since gained over 135,000 likes and more than 3,600 comments, featured moody, monochrome visuals that sparked concerns among netizens. Some even wondered if the shuttler was dealing with mental health struggles.
However, Jeffri shut down the rumours and clarified that there were no signs of psychological distress.
Just expressing himself
His team and friends haven’t noticed anything unusual with him emotionally or mentally,” Jeffri added. “Maybe it’s just how younger people like to express themselves nowadays. Let him be.”
Still, Jeffri said that if Team LZJ ever needed support, the NSC and the National Sports Institute are always ready to help.
Return to the court soon
Lee Zii Jia, currently ranked No. 27 in the world, is set to make his competitive return at the Japan Open from July 15 to 20.
He had dropped in rankings after taking a break due to a right ankle injury sustained during the World Tour Finals last December. So far in 2025, he’s only participated in two tournaments.
While fans may be reading deeply into his recent posts, the clarification by NSC suggests that Zii Jia is simply taking a breather through art.
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