Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. reacts against Connecticut in the finals of the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament at TD Garden in Boston on March 30, 2024. Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Illinois screws up banner for Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey retirement

Originally posted on Minnesota Timberwolves on SI
By Nolan O'Hara | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 10:15 AM ET

Terrence Shannon Jr. will be forever remembered in Champaign, Ill.

Shannon's jersey retirement at Illinois won't soon be forgotten either.

Shannon returned to Champaign on Saturday to see his jersey lifted up into the rafters at State Farm Center. But there was a glitch. When Shannon pulled the chord to release the banner with his No. 0, it was upside down. Big whoops.

Well, they’ll have to flip it around. But Terrence Shannon Jr. is forever an #Illini legend pic.twitter.com/b2MLKaAujp
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) February 16, 2025

Hopefully that didn't put a damper on what should have been a pretty special moment for Shannon, who had two pretty special seasons at Illinois. The Minnesota Timberwolves rookie played 63 games and started 61 for the Illini; and last season, he averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds. 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game and was the leading scorer on an Illinois team that reached the Elite Eight, losing to eventual national champion Connecticut, in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolves selected Shannon out of Illinois with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft.

Shannon's jersey retirement at Illinois also comes as he's catching on with the Timberwolves. He's gotten his most extended opportunities with the Wolves in the last two games, and he set career highs in points (13), rebounds (six) and minutes (29) his last time out as he helped Minnesota knock off the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Timberwolves and was syndicated with permission.

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