Latest news with #RedPanda
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Red Panda suffered ‘severe' wrist fracture in halftime fall at WNBA game
While entertaining the crowd at Target Center in Minneapolis during the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx. Rong Niu, the popular halftime show performer known by the stage name Red Panda, suffered what her agent described as a 'severe fracture' of her left wrist in a fall. The injury occurred just after the acrobat, believed to be in her 50s, began her act.
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Red Panda has fractured left wrist, released from hospital after fall at WNBA game
Good news, basketball fans: Red Panda intends to be ready for next season. Red Panda, the popular performer who fell off her unicycle and crashed to the court during halftime of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx, has a broken left wrist and will need further consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, the agency that represents her said Wednesday. Red Panda — her real name is Rong Niu — spent 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital, with a pair of Lynx staffers there with her the entire time, agent Patrick Figley said. The Chinese American acrobat was heading home for treatment and recovery, which should take a few months. 'She is very grateful,' Figley said. 'Red Panda thanks everyone for all the kind wishes and support. It means the world to her.' The fall was caused by part of her unicycle being damaged during transit, Figley said. The Fever won the game in Minneapolis, and during their postgame locker room celebration Indiana star Caitlin Clark was among those — on teammate Sydney Colson's live stream on Instagram — to send Red Panda well-wishes. 'Red Panda, if you're watching, we love you,' Clark said. Red Panda fell forward off her custom unicycle — it's about 8 feet high — onto the court shortly after her performance started Tuesday night. She immediately grabbed at her left wrist and was eventually helped off the floor by wheelchair before being transported by ambulance to a hospital. She comes from a family of performing acrobats. Her act is composed of her riding on the unicycle and balancing custom-made bowls on her lower leg before flipping them atop her head. She has performed at countless basketball games, including Game 5 of the NBA Finals last month in Oklahoma City. 'She very much appreciates all the support she is receiving,' Figley said.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Red Panda fractured left wrist after fall during halftime act at WNBA Commissioner's Cup game
Iconic halftime performer Rong 'Krystal' Niu, better known by her stage name Red Panda, sustained a severe fracture in her left wrist after falling at the beginning of her halftime act during Tuesday's night's WNBA Commissioner's Cup title game, her manager Pat Figley said in a statement to Niu took a spill from her custom-built unicycle less than 30 seconds into her performance, which came in the middle of the Indiana Fever's matchup with the Minnesota Lynx. She was taken off the court in a wheelchair following the fall, and transported, via ambulance, to a local hospital. Advertisement Figley said that Niu spent 11 hours at a local Minnesota hospital Tuesday night, where two members of the Lynx organization accompanied her while she underwent a medical procedure. Figley said that doctors recommended to Niu that she meet with additional orthopedic surgeons for the second part of her wrist repair upon her return home. 'Red Panda wants me to thank all of you for the kind wishes and support,' Figley said in a statement. 'It means the world to her.' Figley said that the Niu fell due to the left pedal of her unicycle being damaged while in transit. In the aftermath of the fall, Niu received widespread support both in the arena and online as news of her accident spread. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her teammates were among those who sent well-wishes to Niu as the team celebrated its 74-59 win, which came with a $500,000 prize. Advertisement Niu, a fourth-generation acrobat originally from China, began performing full-time at 12 years old. She first performed during an NBA game in 1993 and has become a fan favorite over the ensuing three decades at the pro and college levels for her unique bowl-flipping act. In 2015, Niu suffered a broken arm in practice, yet she continued performing after completing her recovery. In addition to her performances inside sports arenas, Niu appeared in season eight of 'America's Got Talent' and season 18 of 'Britain's Got Talent,' reaching the semifinals. In 2018, she was in the headlines when her unicycle — worth $25,000 — was stolen at a San Francisco airport. The Golden State Warriors later presented her with a replacement prior to a halftime performance in October 2018. 'She much appreciates from her heart the support she is receiving,' Figley said, adding that Niu is definitely planning to come back for the start of next NBA season. Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Red Panda fractured left wrist after fall during halftime act at WNBA Commissioner's Cup game
Iconic halftime performer Rong 'Krystal' Niu, better known by her stage name Red Panda, sustained a severe fracture in her left wrist after falling at the beginning of her halftime act during Tuesday's night's WNBA Commissioner's Cup title game, her manager Pat Figley said in a statement to The Athletic. Advertisement Niu took a spill from her custom-built unicycle less than 30 seconds into her performance, which came in the middle of the Indiana Fever's matchup with the Minnesota Lynx. She was taken off the court in a wheelchair following the fall, and transported, via ambulance, to a local hospital. Figley said that Niu spent 11 hours at a local Minnesota hospital Tuesday night, where two members of the Lynx organization accompanied her while she underwent a medical procedure. Figley said that doctors recommended to Niu that she meet with additional orthopedic surgeons for the second part of her wrist repair upon her return home. Big halftime news in Minneapolis is that the great Red Panda's halftime act stopped less than a minute in as she fell off her unicycle. They're bringing a wheelchair over to her now. — Ben Pickman (@benpickman) July 2, 2025 'Red Panda wants me to thank all of you for the kind wishes and support,' Figley said in a statement. 'It means the world to her.' Figley said that the Niu fell due to the left pedal of her unicycle being damaged while in transit. In the aftermath of the fall, Niu received widespread support both in the arena and online as news of her accident spread. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her teammates were among those who sent well-wishes to Niu as the team celebrated its 74-59 win, which came with a $500,000 prize. Niu, a fourth-generation acrobat originally from China, began performing full-time at 12 years old. She first performed during an NBA game in 1993 and has become a fan favorite over the ensuing three decades at the pro and college levels for her unique bowl-flipping act. In 2015, Niu suffered a broken arm in practice, yet she continued performing after completing her recovery. In addition to her performances inside sports arenas, Niu appeared in season eight of 'America's Got Talent' and season 18 of 'Britain's Got Talent,' reaching the semifinals. Advertisement In 2018, she was in the headlines when her unicycle — worth $25,000 — was stolen at a San Francisco airport. The Golden State Warriors later presented her with a replacement prior to a halftime performance in October 2018. 'She much appreciates from her heart the support she is receiving,' Figley said. 'We'll keep all posted.'
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Red Panda health update: Popular halftime performer 'severely fractured' wrist in fall
Unicyclist Red Panda, a popular halftime performer known for juggling ceramic dishes on her head and feet while riding a 7-foot unicycle, has provided a health update after suffering a scary fall at the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday, July 1. In a statement provided to ESPN personality Pat McAfee on Wednesday, Red Panda, whose real name is Rong Niu, revealed that she "severely fractured" her left wrist after falling off her damaged unicycle during her halftime performance of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final, where the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx at Minneapolis' Target Center on Tuesday. Niu broke the same wrist in 2013. "She took a fall at the very beginning of the show," Niu's team said to McAfee. "Her left wrist was severely fractured at the same spot for the 2nd time. She was at the hospital for 11 hours last night." Niu's team said the fall was caused by her faulty unicycle, saying, "the left (pedal) of her unicycle was damaged during transit." Niu has performed countless halftime shows at NBA and WNBA games, dating to 1993 and had performed during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Shortly after beginning her performance at the WNBA game and letting go of a ladder she used to get on her unicycle, Niu fell off it and crashed to the floor. She instantly clutched her wrist on the floor and was attended to by medical professionals before being wheeled off in a wheelchair. "(Niu) is very grateful. She is on her way home now and the doctors in Minneapolis have recommended that as soon as she gets home, she meet with an orthopedic surgeon for the 2nd part of repair," the statement added. "Thank all of you for the kind wishes and support, it means the world to her. She much appreciates from her heart the support she is receiving. We'll keep you all posted.' Following the injury, Niu received an outpouring of support and get-well-soon messages. Caitlin Clark gave Niu a shoutout in an Instagram Live video posted by Sydney Colson as the Fever celebrated their Commissioner's Cup win over the Lynx. "Red Panda, we love you," Clark said. Niu appeared on Season 8 of "America's Got Talent" in 2013 and advanced to the quarterfinals before withdrawing for personal reasons. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
