Terrence Shannon Jr. selling upside down shirts for Illinois Boys & Girls Club
Former Illinois Fighting Illini player Terrence Shannon Jr. reacts as he reveals his jersey that will hang in the rafters at halftime against the Michigan State Spartans at State Farm Center on February 15, 2025 in Champaign, Illinois. ((Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is turning his retirement jersey mistake into an opportunity for a good cause.
Shannon, an NBA rookie who starred for two seasons at Illinois, went back to his alma mater last weekend to have his jersey hung in the rafters at Assembly Hall. The only problem? When it was revealed, it was upside down.
Instead of being angry about the mishap, Shannon is turning it into an opportunity for charity. He’s had T-shirts made that say, "When life has you upside down, turn it around." He has a link to buy the shirts on his social media, and all proceeds are going to a Boys & Girls Club in Illinois.
Illinois AD owns up to mistake
The backstory:
Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman addressed the mistake postgame before coach Brad Underwood and select players spoke with the media after playing the Spartans. Whitman wasn’t in a laughing mood, taking the mistake particularly hard.
"Obviously, a really regrettable moment. It's a shame that it happened that way. Of course, I didn't hang the jersey but I'm ultimately responsible for everything that happens in this building and ultimately, that means that was on me tonight. We need to make sure we understand that in life, mistakes happen," Whitman said. "But there are also certain moments where mistakes can't happen. And tonight, we stole that moment from [Shannon] and that's on us and something that we have apologized to him for, apologized to his mom."
What we don't know:
How the jersey ended up being upside down to begin with. The mistake was fixed, and Shannon was able to get a photo with his mom and Underwood with the jersey properly right side up.
Timberwolves draft Shannon
Why you should care:
The Timberwolves clearly believe Shannon has a bright future in the NBA. They moved up to the No. 27 pick in the first round to get him, after drafting Rob Dillingham. Shannon has played in 16 games and is averaging 3.1 points per game.
The Timberwolves are 31-25 and in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference. With 26 regular season games left, they’re one game out of the No. 6 spot and three games out of the No. 5 spot. They also have only a 2.5 game cushion on the No. 10 spot. The Timberwolves would need to finish no worse than the No. 6 spot in the West to avoid a play-in series for the playoffs.