Halftime performer Red Panda hospitalized after WNBA unicycle accident
July 2 (UPI) -- Iconic sports halftime entertainer Red Panda tumbled off her 7-foot unicycle and crashed to the court, ending her performance during an Indiana Fever-Minnesota Lynx game and resulting in a hospital visit.
Acrobat Rong Niu, popularly known as Red Panda, fell seconds after stepping onto the apparatus during the Commissioner's Cup title game Tuesday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
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She steadied herself on a ladder before peddling toward half court. She waved her arms toward the crowd, smiled and lost her balance before falling forward and landing hard on the court.
Red Panda was helped off the court before being helped out of the arena on a wheelchair. She clutched her left wrist and her back after the fall. Neither the WNBA nor the Lynx provided medical updates on Red Panda.
An arena employee told The Athletic that she left in an ambulance, while a source told ESPN that she was taken to a hospital for observation.
Red Panda, who is in her mid-50s, has appeared at NBA and WNBA halftime shows since 1993. She previously broke her arm in 2015 during practice and was sidelined for 10 months.
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Fever star Caitlin Clark, who did not play because of her lingering groin injury, mentioned Red Panda during postgame celebrations after the 74-59 triumph.
"Red Panda, if you're watching, we love you," Clark said on Instagram live.
The veteran halftime performer, who appeared on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent, where she made the semifinals, previously broke her arm from a different fall.
In 2018, her 7-foot unicycle -- worth $25,000 -- was stolen at the San Francisco International Airport. It was later replaced by the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
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