My affinity for Red Panda is well-documented. The halftime act, whereby she kicks bowls onto her head while riding a very tall unicycle — yes, you read that correctly — is the best halftime act you'll ever see. I've watched in a number of times at Timberwolves games and have even made a point to go when she is performing. She's simply the best.
But the unthinkable happened during Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday: Red Panda fell off the unicycle. It wasn't even while she was kicking bowls onto her head.
Apparently her unicycle was stolen earlier this year and she has been adjusting to a new one, so maybe that accounts for the slip-up? (Seems like a potential custom unicycle thief would be a pretty narrow group. Can't they find the perpetrator and recover it?)
The good news is that she landed on her feet and got right back on the unicycle because that's what champions do.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com
