Chinese acrobat Niu Rong – known to generations of basketball fans as "Red Panda" – was injured during a halftime performance at the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Final on July 2.
A beloved fixture of NBA halftime entertainment since 1993, she fell during her signature unicycle act and suffered a serious wrist injury.
According to Yahoo Sports, Red Panda's team told ESPN's Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow on X) that the fall was caused by a damaged pedal on her unicycle. Niu fractured her left wrist and required a medical procedure.
Pat McAfee posts an statement from Red Panda's team on July 3.
Footage from the event showed her falling mid-performance and being helped off the court as the crowd responded with a warm round of applause.
Niu falls from a unicycle.
After the game, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her teammates sent well wishes to Niu in a live social media broadcast, while former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posted on X (@mcuban): "This is awful. Let's hope she is ok. She is a legend that every NBA fan is excited to see show up at half time."
Fever sending love to Red Panda following their win in the Commissioner's Cup Final.
Mark Cuban reacts to Red Panda's injury on X.
Born in 1970 in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, Niu is a fourth-generation acrobat. Her US halftime career began in 1993 with an invitation from the Los Angeles Clippers, and she has been dazzling NBA crowds ever since with her bowl-flipping, one-wheeled feats.
Many Chinese fans took to social media to express concern and admiration. One viral comment read: "She's been performing in the NBA even longer than LeBron has played!"
