Still Got It: Red Panda Continues To Prove That Nobody In Sports Can Come Close To Her Career Longevity
Everybody knows the true March Madness comes during conference tournament week when Red Panda takes the court at MSG for the Big East Tournament. Filling out brackets is fun for a couple of days. Buzzer beaters to save your team from the jaws of defeat are exciting. But the month of March belongs to Red Panda. Seemingly it always has, and seemingly it always will.
Red Panda first came onto the scene on Thanksgiving Day in 1993. She worked the halftime show for a Clippers game that day, and then became a staple the following season. So just for the sake of argument, let's say her career started in 1994.
The same year that Jason Kidd entered the NBA. The same year that Marshall Faulk entered the NFL. Martin Brodeur was the Rookie of the Year in the NHL that year. We were still a couple seasons away from Derek Jeter making his MLB debut. All these legends of the game coming up around the same time as the Red Panda, and all of their playing careers came to an end at least a decade ago.
Tom Brady was in high school. LeBron James was maybe in middle school. Sidney Crosby was just a little boy who couldn't even tie his own skates yet. Meanwhile, Red Panda was flying all across the country putting on show after show after show on the hardwood.
Sure, she's had some ups and downs in her career. What legend hasn't? But the fact that she's still bringing it 30 years later puts her into an echelon practically all to herself. The only other athlete who I think could potentially rival Red Panda's longevity would be Jaromir Jagr. That maniac won back-to-back Cups with Pittsburgh in 1991-92, and is still putting up numbers in the top Czech league today.
Something tells me these two are trying to see who can outlast the other. Watching each other's move like a hawk, just waiting for the other to blink. Right now the ball is back in Jagr's court because Red Panda put out a statement yesterday that she ain't going anywhere any time soon.