Legendary halftime performer Red Panda was taken to hospital on Tuesday night after suffering a heavy fall during the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx’s WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final.
Red Panda, whose real name is Rong Niu, has made her famous unicycle show a staple of NBA, WNBA and college basketball games across America in recent years.
The Chinese-American acrobat’s popular routine involves her riding a seven-foot unicycle around the court while flicking bowls up with her feet and balancing them on her head, a skill which has made her a fan favorite in the US.
However, on Tuesday night disaster struck when Niu fell from her unicycle and landed heavily on the ground, before she was helped up by a member of staff and escorted out of the arena.
As she initially walked off, the 55-year-old held her right arm up to the crowd to reassure fans that she was ok, before a wheelchair was eventually brought out to take her off the court.
Yet according to ESPN, a WNBA source confirmed that she was taken to hospital for further evaluation. It is unclear if she sustained any injuries, though she appeared to be holding her wrist as she left the court.
Legendary performer Red Panda fell heavily during the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final
After the Fever claimed the Cup title with a 74-59 win over the Lynx, injured Indiana superstar Caitlin Clark paid tribute to Red Panda amidst their locker room celebrations.
‘Red Panda, we love you,’ Clark said on an Instagram live stream.
The WNBA sensation received praise from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy for thinking of Red Panda during the team’s celebrations.
Portnoy wrote on X: ‘There is class and then there is class. In the middle of celebrating the very prestigious Commissioners Cup title and with an injury Caitlin Clark takes time to wish Red Panda a speedy recovery after yesterday’s scary fall.’
Red Panda, whose first appearance at an NBA game came all the way back in 1993, has fallen from her unicycle at a basketball match in the past.
During Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals, the iconic entertainer went tumbling to the ground in similar fashion, only to land a lot more smoothly on her feet and continue with the performance.
