During Terrence Shannon Jr.’s jersey retirement ceremony at Illinois on Saturday night, an unexpected mishap occurred. As the former All-American pulled a rope to unveil the banner celebrating his illustrious career, it was accidentally displayed upside down, transforming what was meant to be a moment of pride into one of humor.

Cheers quickly turned into laughter and gasps from the audience at the State Farm Center as they realized what had happened. However, Shannon took it in stride, smiling at the blunder.

Shannon set a single-season scoring record for Illinois last season, amassing 736 points while leading the Illini to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight. The 6-foot-6 guard was the second-highest scorer in the Big Ten with an average of 23 points per game, trailing only Purdue’s Zach Edey, the National Player of the Year.

Originally playing for Texas Tech, Shannon transferred to Illinois for the 2022-23 season, where he immediately made an impact as the team’s leading scorer with an average of 17.2 points per game. His extraordinary performance last season cemented his status as a legend within the Illinois basketball program.

“Well, they’ll have to flip it around. But Terrence Shannon Jr. is forever an #Illini legend.”
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) on Twitter

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Shannon as the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he played in 16 games. The All-Star break provided a perfect opportunity for the Illini to honor one of their own.

Next time, they might consider holding a rehearsal before the big reveal.