"No way that was a mistake," "Legends come cheap these days": College hoops fans react to mishap at Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey retirement event

There was some drama during Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey retirement with the Illinois Fighting Illini. The guard's jersey was raised to the rafters during halftime of Saturday's Michigan State vs. Illinois game. However, it turned out that the jersey was hung upside down, causing audible gasps in the crowd.

Following the occurrence, college hoops fans had a lot to say on X (formerly known as Twitter). They said:

A fan added, "Terrence Shannon Jr deserve that jersey retirement, legend. They really messed up tho with that flipped over jersey smh"

Another added, "You had *one* job. One."

However, some fans couldn't be less bothered:

A fan added, "Only played two years, no titles, no records….. so why retiring his jersey?"

Another stated, "Haha, someone at Illinois doesn't agree with the decision to retire his jersey"

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Illinois issues apology after Terrence Shannon Jr.'s jersey mishap

Following the jersey retirement ceremony events, the Fighting Illini apologized to Terrence Shannon Jr. and his family. Per ESPN, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman made a statement after the Michigan State vs. Illinois game.

"Before we get into the substance of the matchup tonight, obviously, we had a regrettable situation during Terrence's halftime jersey celebration," Whitman said. (0:04 onwards) "Obviously, it was a very regrettable moment. It is a shame that it happened that way."

Whitman continued,

"Of course, I did not hang the jersey, but I am ultimately responsible for everything in this building, which means that what happened tonight was on me. We need to ensure that we understand that mistakes occur in life. But there are also certain moments where mistakes cannot happen."

"And tonight, we stole that moment from Terrence, and that is on us and something that we have apologized to him for, apologized to his mother. We want to make sure that we apologize to our fans and everybody excited to be a part of tonight's experience."

Terrence Shannon Jr. achieved legendary status during his two-year tenure with the Fighting Illini. His contributions were crucial in leading the team to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. In his inaugural season in Illinois, he averaged 17.2 points, followed by an impressive 23.0 points in his second year.

Shannon Jr. owns numerous records in Illinois, including, but not limited to, the most points scored in a season, the most free throws made in a season, the most offensive win shares, the single-game record for the most three-point field goals made, and more. He was awarded the 2024 Illinois Male Athlete of the Year Award for his efforts.

Terrence Shannon Jr. slugs it out for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA these days. He's still finding his footing at the professional level, having spent time in both the G League and NBA.