"What an absolute disaster": Fans left in disbelief after major blunder at Minnesota Timberwolves guard's Illinois college jersey retirement

What was supposed to be a celebration of Terrence Shannon Jr.'s college career will now be remembered as a massive blunder by the Illinois athletic department.

The Minnesota Timberwolves guard had his No. 0 Illinois Fighting Illini jersey retired before his alma mater took on the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, but as his jersey was revealed to the packed home crowd, the reactions quickly turned from excitement to disbelief — it had been presented upside down.

Naturally, it was an unpleasant moment for the NBA rookie, his family, friends and the Illini faithful. What should have been a commemoration of one of their best guards will now be overshadowed by the mistake made by the program.

As the unusual presentation went viral, fans and spectators on X (formerly Twitter) were left in disbelief that Illinois allowed such a blunder, especially for one of its top recent players.

"What an absolute disaster," one user said.

"I would expect this to happen at Indiana," another user said.

"Most Illinois thing ever," a user wrote with a laughing emoji.

"Someone got fired tonight," another replied.

Some even questioned whether Shannon Jr.'s one-and-done stint at Illinois warranted a jersey retirement.

"I mean they're already retiring the jersey of a guy that accomplished nothing at Illinois. What else would we expect," one user posted.

"Man, they retire anyone’s jersey now my God," another user shared.

"Pretty low bar for retired jerseys over there," a user added.

The Fighting Illini program will surely correct the mistake and ensure that Shannon Jr.'s jersey is rightfully placed in the rafters of their home arena. However, to add insult to injury, it wasn't a great day for the program or its fans.

Illinois went on to lose by 14 points to the 11th-ranked Spartans, 79-65, in front of its home crowd, dropping to 9-7 in the Big Ten and 17-9 overall.

How has Terrence Shannon Jr. fared in the NBA after a standout college career?

After just one year at Illinois, where he was named the 2024 Big Ten tournament's Most Outstanding Player, Shannon Jr. declared for the NBA draft and was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the 27th pick.

So far, the 24-year-old has mostly seen garbage-time minutes, but he recently impressed with 13 points, six rebounds and one assist in the Timberwolves' 116-101 victory over the OKC Thunder on Thursday, their last game before the All-Star break.