Beloved basketball halftime performer Red Panda, the stage name for acrobat Rong Niu,\u00a0was injured at the beginning of her routine on Tuesday night during the final of the WNBA Commissioner\u2019s Cup.<\/p>\n
At halftime between the Fever and the Lynx, Niu was ready to begin another awe-inspiring performance at Target Center, after using a ladder to help her mount her 7-foot-tall unicycle.<\/p>\n
But just moments later, she fell off her unicycle and hit the ground hard, unable to catch herself on the way down.<\/p>\n
The last time I recall her fall was on 2018. \u2014 MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Red Panda is a legendary halftime act. WNBA<\/p>\n Red Panda fell off the unicycle during Tuesday\u2019s halftime act. WNBA<\/p>\n Medical staff came to her aid, and Red Panda attempted to walk with them off the court but left in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n The Athletic reported<\/a> she left the arena in an ambulance.<\/p>\n The game had to be delayed for a little bit as staffers took some time to repair a dent left after the fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Red Panda had fallen once before in 2018, during Game 3 of the NBA Finals. In that instance, Niu was unhurt. <\/p>\n Red Panda after falling off the unicycle. WNBA<\/p>\n Red Panda performs during the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 16, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n According to USA Today<\/a>, she previously broke her arm in a different fall.<\/p>\n Niu has been a constant halftime act, performing her tricks since the 1990s.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think at the beginning you can\u2019t do it, if you put your hard work and your heart in there and you like it and you want to do something different from most people, keep working on it,\u201d she told Sports Illustrated in 2019<\/a>. \u201cThis is what my dad told me. People didn\u2019t think it could work. And we tried. And kept on trying to be a better percentage. All is possible, I guess, if you keep on trying.\u201d<\/p>\n She also made the semifinals of season 18 of \u201cBritain\u2019s Got Talent\u201d and was once a performer on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t
During Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals, the halftime performer, Red Panda, took a tumble off her unicycle. While this was a rare sight, she quickly recovered and finished her performance https:\/\/t.co\/miO6xjz2VA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4RSy7HVLmp<\/a><\/p>\n