Our brief, basketball-halftime-centric national nightmare is over.
A week after Red Panda’s custom-made unicycle was stolen, she’s secured a new one—donated by the Golden State Warriors. The beloved halftime act will soon be able to flip plates and bowls onto her head on the bike that she deserves.
From Warriors team president Rick Welts, as told to the Mercury News:
“The Red Panda is legendary and absolutely loved and adored by everyone, especially our fans and season tickets holders. She’s been a staple at Warriors games for many years and we need for that to continue in the future. What better way to put her in position to succeed than with a new, custom made unicycle? We look forward to her next appearance at Oracle Arena and are glad that we could do our small part to help this great tradition continue.”
Red Panda missed one halftime performance due to the missing unicycle, and she performed five others on a replacement bike that hasn’t lived up to the $25,000 original she’d been using for decades. “She’s doing horribly,” her agent told reporters. “She’s dropping bowls. She’s just not used to it. The one that was stolen was custom built for her.”
She likely will not be able to pick up the new custom cycle in China until after the NBA season has ended. But just knowing that a new bike is on its way has made Red Panda feel at ease: “The cloud has lifted,” her agent said.