Red Panda made a triumphant return to an NBA court on Tuesday night after breaking her wrist this summer.
Real name Rong Niu, Red Panda has made her unicycle show a staple of NBA, WNBA and college basketball games across America in recent years.
The Chinese-American acrobat’s popular routine involves her riding a seven-foot unicycle around the court while flicking bowls up with her feet and balancing them on her head, a skill which has made her a fan favorite in the US.
She broke her left wrist during a July 1 performance at the WNBA Commissioner´s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx, spending 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital after the fall.
But she made a triumphant return on Tuesday night in Chicago at halftime of the game between the Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers.
Her agent, Patrick Figley, said Tuesday that Niu first returned from the injury on October 23 for an Amazon Prime event and she has also made a few appearances at universities.
Red Panda made a triumphant return to an NBA court on Tuesday night after breaking her wrist
Red Panda has made her famous unicycle show a staple of NBA, WNBA and college games
Her routine is riding a unicycle, flicking bowls up with her feet and balancing them on her head
She made a triumphant return on Tuesday night in Chicago at halftime of the Bulls-76ers game
Disaster struck in July when Niu fell from her unicycle and landed heavily on the ground, before she was helped up by a member of staff and escorted out of the arena.
As she initially walked off, the 55-year-old held her right arm up to the crowd to reassure fans that she was ok, before a wheelchair was eventually brought out to take her off the court.
After the Fever claimed the Cup title with a 74-59 win over the Lynx, injured Indiana superstar Caitlin Clark paid tribute to Red Panda amidst their locker room celebrations.
‘Red Panda, we love you,’ Clark said on an Instagram live stream.
