Red Panda Down: Legendary NBA Halftime Performer & ‘AGT’ Contestant Falls Off 7-Foot-High Unicycle At WNBA Game

First Caitlin Clark and now Red Panda.

The legendary halftime performer known for balancing (and flipping) up to 12 bowls on her head while riding a 7-foot-high unicycle took a nasty spill tonight while performing during the Commissioner’s Cup WNBA title game.

Clark, arguably the WNBA’s biggest draw, had already been ruled out as her Indiana Fever took on the Minnesota Lynx. Then, just seconds into her halftime routine — which she begins from a ladder because of the height of her unicycle — Red Panda seems to lurch forward too far and, while trying to regain her balance, finds the seat sliding out from underneath her.

Panda, whose real name is Rong “Krystal” Niu, pancakes onto the ground and clutches her left wrist.

She was then helped from the floor and placed in a wheelchair courtside.

Panda broke her wrist in 2013 while practicing. It was her first major injury. She did not return to performing during NBA games until 2015.

Her very first performance came on Thanksgiving 1993, when the Los Angeles Clippers needed a last-minute replacement for a halftime entertainer. Panda, with her energy and impressive athleticism, was an instant hit. The following season, she performed at more than 40 NBA games. She has been a fan favorite in the three decades since.

While NBA TV broadcasts cut away to commercials and analysis during halftime, viewers often get a glimpse of Red Panda finishing her act as part of the background ambiance when networks return from commercials.

She was a contestant on Season 8 of America’s Got Talent, making it to the quarter-finals, but left the show when her father became ill. She also appeared in Britain’s Got Talent.