Rest easy, fellow citizens: The Warriors are buying Red Panda a new unicycle
National crisis averted.
The Golden State Warriors, as savvy in their public relations as they are on the basketball court, announced that they will purchase a custom-made unicycle for beloved acrobat Red Panda, a.k.a. Rong Niu, whose trademark vehicle was stolen from San Francisco International Airport this week.
“The Red Panda is legendary and absolutely loved and adored by everyone, especially our fans and season tickets holders. With a new, custom made unicycle we are glad that we could do our small part to help this great tradition continue.” -Warriors President & COO @RickWelts pic.twitter.com/EjPhHFYGbQ
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 2, 2018
Red Panda is based in San Francisco, but she has performed her famed trick of flipping a series of bowls from her foot onto her head during halftime shows at NBA and college basketball games across the country. She canceled her first appearance following the disappearance of her unicycle, and subsequent attempts to perform on a backup bike have not gone as smoothly as she’s accustomed to.
“Their generosity is just amazing,” Red Panda’s agent, Patrick Figley, told Bay Area News Group. “This cloud has been lifted. She was thrilled. She’s really really appreciative. The Warriors are a great organization.”
Red Panda is reportedly scheduled to perform at a Warriors playoff game, but her new unicycle isn’t expected to be completed in China until after the season, when bowls everywhere can breathe easy.
The bearded suspect, however, should be cowering in his shoes. The San Francisco Police Department released images of the man authorities believe wheeled away with Red Panda’s unicycle in a suitcase:
There is a $2,000 reward for information leading to the location of Red Panda’s unicycle.
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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
