Rong Niu, better known under her stage name ‘Red Panda’, is set to perform at halftime of the Miami–Stanford basketball game on Jan. 28.
‘Red Panda’ is famous for riding a tall unicycle while balancing plates on her head and foot, all while juggling more plates at the same time. The Chinese-American acrobat has even appeared on television shows such as America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent.
A longtime NBA halftime performer, ‘Red Panda’ has become a fan-favorite for her acrobatic routines and even appears as a halftime act in the NBA 2K video game franchise.
On July 1, 2025, she fell from her seven-foot unicycle during a halftime show of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx. Rui suffered a severe fracture in her left wrist and spent 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital.
Niu’s injury required surgery, and spent four months recovering from her wrist fracture. She first returned from injury on Oct. 23, 2025 for an Amazon Prime event and has worked her way back to regularly performing across the country at universities and arenas.
To see her performance, make sure to show up to the Watsco Center tonight as the Canes take on the Cardinal.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET, with the game airing on the ACC Network.