Red Panda fractures wrist, Target Center fall due to damaged unicycle
Red Panda performs during halftime of Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals on June 12, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to t (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A popular sports halftime performer suffered a severely fractured wrist and spent 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital after a fall Tuesday night.
Red Panda was at the beginning of her halftime show at Target Center as the Minnesota Lynx hosted the Indiana Fever for the Commissioner’s Cup title, a game the Lynx lost 74-59. She is well-known for her acrobatic act where she flips dishes onto her head while riding on a 7-foot-tall unicycle, was performing at halftime Tuesday evening when she fell from her unicycle.
Red Panda, whose real name is Rong "Krystal" Niu, was moving forward when she appeared to lose balance and fell to the court. Niu appeared to brace her fall with her hands and held her wrist after the fall. Staff brought out a wheelchair to help Niu off the court after the ordeal.
Fractured wrist, damaged unicycle
What they're saying:
In a statement to ESPN’s Pat McAfee, somebody from Red Panda’s team revealed she suffered a severely fractured left wrist from her fall. She fell because the left pedal of her unicycle was damaged during transit to Target Center for the show.
Two staffers with the Minnesota Lynx spent 11 hours with her at the hospital after the fall.
It’s the second time she’s fractured her left wrist. Doctors in Minneapolis recommended he meet with an orthopedic surgeon when she gets home to do a second repair.