WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham Belts Out Country Music Classic In Bar After Big Win
Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham celebrated a Friday night victory by heading out on the town, where an ordinary postgame drink quickly turned into something considerably more memorable.
Before long, the WNBA star was standing on top of a bar, microphone in hand, with an Indianapolis crowd cheering her on.
Cunningham was captured on video singing Toby Keith’s patriotic country hit “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue” at Clayton’s Country Bar after the Fever defeated the Dallas Wings.
The 6-foot-1 guard was reportedly enjoying a drink with friends at the end of the bar when owner and country singer Clayton Anderson spotted her in the crowd.
Anderson, wearing a red Fever shirt and carrying a microphone, encouraged Cunningham to join him for a song.
Cunningham eventually obliged, climbing onto the bar railing alongside Anderson as the crowd realized what was happening.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my friend, America’s sweetheart, Sophie Cunningham!” Anderson announced to a loud reaction from patrons.
Cunningham shrugged, danced, and joined Anderson in belting out the Toby Keith classic as people throughout the bar sang along.
Video and photographs of the impromptu performance quickly made their way onto social media.
The lighthearted appearance came after a tumultuous few weeks for Cunningham, who has found herself at the center of several controversies surrounding the WNBA.
Cunningham recently drew national attention after telling ESPN that she opposes biological males competing against girls and women in sports.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” Cunningham said.
“And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” she continued.
“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham said.
“But I also think with that love is truth, being honest,” she added.
“And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” Cunningham said.
Her remarks drew both praise and condemnation, with supporters rallying behind her while critics pushed back against her position.
The controversy intensified when an opposing coach recently appeared wearing a shirt bearing the message “Trans Kids Belong.”
Cunningham then found herself at the center of another heated moment when Chicago Sky player DiJonai Carrington struck her in the face as Cunningham drove toward the basket during a nationally televised game.
The contact sent Cunningham crashing to the floor, although she still managed to make the layup.
Cunningham quickly returned to her feet and confronted Carrington as players and coaches rushed between the two.
Cunningham appeared to angrily ask Carrington why she had hit her as blood could be seen coming from Cunningham’s mouth.
Officials reviewed the play before assessing Carrington a Flagrant Two foul and ejecting her from the game.
Cunningham sarcastically applauded as Carrington headed toward the locker room.
The confrontation then spilled onto social media when Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” in all capital letters on Threads and tagged the Fever’s account.
Cunningham appeared unfazed afterward and posed for a photograph with former collegiate swimmer and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines.
OutKick founder Clay Travis also condemned Carrington’s actions and called her subsequent post “Blatant racism.”
“She should be out of the league for the rest of the year,” Travis wrote on X.
“But it’s the WNBA so she will probably get a five year contract extension,” he added.
Days later, Cunningham appeared to have put the controversy behind her as she celebrated the Fever’s victory with friends and fans in Indianapolis.
Rather than talking basketball or revisiting the political firestorm surrounding her, Cunningham grabbed a microphone, climbed onto the bar and helped lead the crowd through one of Keith’s best-known songs.
For at least one Friday night, the headlines surrounding Cunningham had nothing to do with hard fouls or politics.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
