Beloved halftime performer, amazing acrobat Red Panda is retiring

The NBA contains many experiences, from the game on the court to the various discussions surrounding everything that happens in the league. That includes the in-arena halftime performances, even if many fans use the break as a chance to grab food or use the restroom. Home teams will do what's necessary to keep fans engaged during stoppages, and usually that involves a little bit of entertainment. For the most part, they rely on a relatively small group of surefire crowd-pleasers.

For years, one of those acts has been Red Panda, a 40-something Chinese-born acrobat named Rong Niu. Her performances pile on the feats of flexibility and skill — she rides a unicycle, balances bowls on her foot, and then flips those bowls onto her head. It is never not incredible.

Unfortunately, Red Panda did not appear at any NBA games during the 2013-14 season due to injuries. It has now come to light that Rong Niu has retired from performing (via SB Nation):

According to USF’s @MJFarrell, Red Panda has retired. There needs to be an online campaign to put her in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

— Collin Sherwin (@USFCollin) October 1, 2014

This is not only a loss for the NBA — Red Panda has also appeared at college basketball games and various other events. No matter the venue, though, she always put on a great show. It wasn't even especially rare for her to be the most impressive part of a particularly terrible game. Other acts will take her place, but she will be missed.

I can think of no better way to honor her work than to watch her in action and marvel at the talent on display:

It's all on you now, Quick Change.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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