Red Panda plans return to basketball halftimes after wrist surgery
red-panda-set-for-2025-26-halftime-return
Rong Niu, the famed unicycle performer known as Red Panda, expects to resume her halftime appearances during the 2025-26 college and NBA seasons after recovering from a serious wrist injury, her agency announced Sunday.
Niu was hurt in July when she tumbled from her 7-foot unicycle while executing her signature bowl-flipping routine at halftime of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup matchup between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx. The fall required extensive surgery and forced her to sit out the remainder of the WNBA calendar.
Agent Pat Figley said Niu has already returned to practice and intends to rejoin the in-game entertainment circuit in the coming months, though no specific debut date has been set.
“We are sending out this note to thank everyone for their heartfelt wishes to Red Panda for a speedy recovery from her fall,” Figley wrote in a memo. “It was a very serious injury and she did require surgery. She appreciated all the sincere follow-up … She is recovering well and is practicing. She is looking forward to performing this season.”
Before the accident, Red Panda was a fixture at professional and college basketball venues across the United States, often drawing fans away from concession lines and restrooms to watch her high-wire balancing act.
Figley added that Niu’s rehabilitation is on schedule: “She is healing.”
Source: ESPN
