{"id":265464,"date":"2025-11-01T18:43:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T18:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/265464\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T18:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T18:43:21","slug":"popular-unicycle-performer-red-panda-injured-at-half-time-of-wnba-game-wnba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/265464\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular unicycle performer Red Panda injured at half-time of WNBA game | WNBA"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most popular acts in half-time entertainment sustained an injury Tuesday night in Minneapolis as Rong \u2018Krystal\u2019 Niu, better known under her stage name of \u201cRed Panda,\u201d needed to be assisted off the court after falling during half-time of the WNBA Commissioner\u2019s Cup championship game<\/a> between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx.<\/p>\n

Niu has delighted basketball fans in numerous NBA, college basketball and WNBA<\/a> venues since her debut in 1993. The \u2018Red Panda\u2019 rides a seven-foot-tall unicycle while catching and balancing a large number of metal bowls on her head during her act.<\/p>\n

Reporters for MinnPost and ESPN confirmed that Niu took a hard spill<\/a>, falling from her unicycle during Tuesday\u2019s performance. The popular performer laid still for some time, cradling her left wrist before being taken off the court in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

After the game, several Indiana players, including Caitlin Clark, shared their concern for Niu during an Instagram Live<\/a> hosted by teammate Sydney Colson.<\/p>\n

Caitlin Clark jumps into Syd Colson\u2019s IG live to send recovery wishes to Red Panda, who fell off her unicycle during her halftime performance.
Caitlin: Red Panda, if you\u2019re watching, we love you. \ud83e\udef6
Syd: I don\u2019t think Red Panda\u2019s watching my shit. \ud83e\udd23 https:\/\/t.co\/yp2AxEWzy0<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xzbttc5pvq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Myles (@MylesEhrlich) July 2, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope she\u2019s OK,\u201d Clark said, echoing a sentiment felt across the basketball world for a performer who has long been part of the sport\u2019s rhythm and spectacle.<\/p>\n

Once called \u201cthe best halftime act in basketball\u201d by Dime Magazine, Niu retired in 2013 to support her father while he battled cancer. She practiced occasionally during this timeframe and suffered her first wrist injury.<\/p>\n

After she mourned her father\u2019s death due to esophageal cancer and helped her mother deal with an illness, Niu made her return in 2015 as she revealed in a Sports on Earth interview that she couldn\u2019t stay away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI missed it,\u201d Niu said. \u201cThe crowd. The energy. The challenge. From my heart, I feel like this is a part of my home. Although I lost my father, I still have this part of my life with me, just like before.\u201c<\/p>\n