{"id":640427,"date":"2026-05-01T08:55:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/640427\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T08:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:55:13","slug":"country-music-icon-turns-heads-with-surprise-visit-to-wnba-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/640427\/","title":{"rendered":"Country Music Icon Turns Heads with Surprise Visit to WNBA Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

A surprise visit from country music<\/a> star Blake Shelton<\/a> sent excitement through the Indiana Fever this week, as players reacted with smiles, laughter and even a little starstruck disbelief during practice.<\/p>\n

The Fever shared the moment on Instagram, showing Shelton walking into the gym and greeting players mid-session. Guard Sophie Cunningham had the most memorable reaction, rushing toward Shelton with visible excitement as her teammates looked on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just lost all focus,\u201d Cunningham said in the video, capturing the lighthearted mood of the visit.<\/p>\n

The team later posted the clip with the caption: \u201cHe\u2019s a Fever girl!\u201d \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 Blake Shelton stopped by practice today after announcing that Ole Red is coming to downtown Indianapolis in late 2027.<\/p>\n

Shelton\u2019s appearance came shortly after he confirmed that his Ole Red bar and live music<\/a> venue will open in downtown Indianapolis in 2027. The announcement has already created buzz in the city, and his visit to the Fever added even more excitement around the team.<\/p>\n

\"Blake<\/p>\n

Blake Shelton performs onstage during the 28th Family Film and TV Awards at Associated Television Int’l Studios.Photo by Phillip Faraone&sol;Getty Images for Family Film and TV Awards<\/p>\n

During practice, Shelton took time to greet players and pose for photos with Cunningham, star guard Caitlin Clark<\/a>, Lexie Hull and head coach Stephanie White. The Fever also gifted him a custom team jersey with the number 7 on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got my fit. That\u2019s right,\u201d Shelton said while holding the jersey.<\/p>\n

Cunningham, clearly thrilled, added, \u201cHe\u2019s a Fever girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

The interaction quickly became a viral moment among fans, who flooded social media with reactions.<\/p>\n

One fan wrote, \u201cSo jealous! He is such an awesome person!\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added, \u201cBlake is ahhhhmazzzingggg!!!!!!\ud83d\ude0d\u201d<\/p>\n

Others chimed in with messages like \u201cThat\u2019s awesome! Blake is the best!! \u2764\ufe0f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d and \u201cOh wow! Love this!\u201d<\/p>\n

One comment perfectly summed up Cunningham\u2019s reaction: \u201cSophie almost about to pass out!!! Then \u2018bye Blake\u2019 then hook shot over her head w the bb so cute!\u201d<\/p>\n

Another fan declared, \u201c\ud83d\ude4c\ud83d\udd25\u2764\ufe0f He’s a fever now.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the entire team enjoyed the visit, Cunningham stood out as the most excited. The 29-year-old guard, who has openly shared her love for country music, couldn\u2019t hide her admiration.<\/p>\n

She later doubled down on her reaction in the comments, writing: \u201cI don\u2019t fan girl over anyone BUT Blake Shelton \ud83d\udd25 hands down the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her enthusiasm comes as she prepares for a fresh WNBA season after re-signing with the Fever on a one-year deal. Despite dealing with a knee injury last season, Cunningham remains focused on helping the team compete at a high level.<\/p>\n

The Fever, known for drawing large crowds and a growing fanbase, has become a hotspot for celebrity visits. With more than 17,000 fans regularly filling Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team continues to gain attention beyond basketball.<\/p>\n

As Shelton left the court, Cunningham was still smiling, even tossing a playful basketball shot behind her as she walked away, one last sign of how much the moment meant.<\/p>\n

Related: Blake Shelton Felt Destined to Record His Unforgettable 2011 No. 1 Country Love Classic<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on May 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A surprise visit from country music star Blake Shelton sent excitement through the Indiana Fever this week, as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":640428,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[142854,49,735,48,6003,2803,7086,238990,10879,82,630],"class_list":["post-640427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-blake-shelton","tag-ca","tag-caitlin-clark","tag-canada","tag-fever","tag-indiana-fever","tag-lexie-hull","tag-ole-red","tag-sophie-cunningham","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=640427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640427\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}