Devastating injury strikes the NBA's premier unicyclist

Acrobat Rong Krystal Niu began performing as "Red Panda" during NBA games in 1993 and has since become a regular fixture of halftime shows for the NBA and WNBA, as well as appearing on "America's Got Talent." While Niu's act involves her pedaling a unicycle while stacking and balancing 16 bowls, this is only her second serious injury from performing.

Caitlin Clark wasn't the only notable injured star on Tuesday. Early in Niu's performance, she took a hard fall mere seconds into her performance. She was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery for a severely fractured left wrist, the same one she broke during a fall in 2013 while practicing. Niu is returning to her home in San Francisco, where she'll face another procedure in hopes of returning in time for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Halftime performers are an integral part of the NBA fan experience, but they work with a safety net, both literally and figuratively. There's no union, no employer-provided health care or human resources department for a performer like Red Panda, whose act becomes more and more hazardous as she reaches her mid-50s.

Niu has had setbacks before. In 2018, her unicycle was stolen from the baggage claim at San Francisco International Airport. She struggled with a jury-rigged unicycle before the Golden State Warriors gifted her a custom-built replacement. Red Panda had to take a nearly two-year hiatus to care for her ailing father in 2013 because halftime performers don't get paid family leave.

But when Niu is healthy and on her game, her act is impressive, athletic and hypnotic. It's remarkably dramatic and compelling to watch a woman toss bowls from her feet to the top of her head while pedaling a unicycle with one leg.

The NBA has lost too many of its stars to injuries already this summer. Just like Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard, the league needs Red Panda to rest up, rehab and come back stronger than ever.