Red Panda 'healing' after fall, eyes '25-'26 return

Months aft suffering a scary autumn during a WNBA Commissioner's Cup game, Rong Niu -- amended known arsenic the unicycle performer Red Panda -- has a connection for her supporters and fans: She's coming back.

Niu suffered a superior wrist injury aft she fell disconnected her 7-foot unicycle portion doing her patented enactment of tossing bowls onto her caput portion balancing connected her motorcycle astatine halftime of an Indiana Fever-Minnesota Lynx crippled successful July. The wounded required a lengthy surgical process and sidelined her for the remainder of the WNBA season.

On Sunday, however, her bureau said Niu expects to instrumentality during the 2025-26 men's and women's assemblage hoops and NBA seasons. She is already practicing again and preparing to get backmost onto the court.

"We are sending retired this enactment to convey everyone for their heartfelt wishes to Red Panda for a speedy betterment from her fall," said Pat Figley, Niu's agent, successful a memo. "It was a precise superior wounded and she did necessitate surgery. She appreciated each the sincere follow-up. It was astonishing and precise touching. She truly appreciates each of the support. She is recovering good and is practicing. She is looking guardant to performing this season."

Before the injury, Niu's Red Panda enactment was a staple of halftimes astatine NBA, WNBA and women's and men's hoops games passim the country. Fans would often forgo halftime trips to the restroom oregon concession stands to ticker Niu's performance.

Figley said Niu does not person a circumstantial instrumentality day successful mind, but she is connected way to marque her comeback successful the months ahead.

"She is healing," helium said.