FILE - Rong Niu, also known as the performer Red Panda, performs at halftime during an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
FILE - Rong Niu, also known as the performer Red Panda, performs at halftime during an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
Good news, basketball fans: Red Panda intends to be ready for next season.
Red Panda, the popular performer who fell off her unicycle and crashed to the court during halftime of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx, has a broken left wrist and will need further consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, the agency that represents her said Wednesday.
Red Panda — her real name is Rong Niu — spent 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital, with a pair of Lynx staffers there with her the entire time, agent Patrick Figley said. The Chinese American acrobat was heading home for treatment and recovery, which should take a few months.
“She is very grateful,†Figley said. “Red Panda thanks everyone for all the kind wishes and support. It means the world to her.â€
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The fall was caused by part of her unicycle being damaged during transit, Figley said.
The Fever won the game in Minneapolis, and during their postgame locker room celebration Indiana star Caitlin Clark was among those — on teammate Sydney Colson’s live stream on Instagram — to send Red Panda well-wishes.
“Red Panda, if you’re watching, we love you,†Clark said.
Red Panda fell forward off her custom unicycle — it’s about 8 feet high — onto the court shortly after her performance started Tuesday night. She immediately grabbed at her left wrist and was eventually helped off the floor by wheelchair before being transported by ambulance to a hospital.
She comes from a family of performing acrobats. Her act is composed of her riding on the unicycle and balancing custom-made bowls on her lower leg before flipping them atop her head.
She has performed at countless basketball games, including Game 5 of the NBA Finals last month in Oklahoma City.
“She very much appreciates all the support she is receiving,†Figley said.
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