Terrence Shannon Jr. to Be Honored at Illinois-Michigan State Game

The former Illini star will be acknowledged in a special ceremony Feb. 15 at halftime of the Spartans game

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Terrence Shannon Jr. may not have worn an Illinois jersey for as long as some of the other Illini greats of the past, but he more than earned the right for it to take an exalted place – both literally and figuratively – in the program's historical canon.

And so it will be, as Illinois announced Thursday night that Shannon, a star guard with the Illini from 2002-2004 and currently a rookie with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, will have his jersey raised the rafters of the State Farm Center as part on Feb. 14 as part of the Illinois Basketball Honored Jerseys program.

He's coming home.

Join us at @statefarmcenter on Feb. 15 as we welcome back @sn1per_T for his honored jersey ceremony.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/ItQfJgrqK3

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 20, 2024

"What's up, Illini Nation?" Shannon said in a short video posted to Illinois men's basketball's official X social account. "T.J. here just checking in. Can't wait to see you all at State Farm. I-L-L."

A halftime ceremony during the Michigan State game on Feb. 14 (7 p.m. CT, on FOX) will honor Shannon, who will be on hand to participate. The game is already sold out.

Shannon is the 36th Illini player to earn the distinction and the third player in coach Brad Underwood's eight seasons in Champaign (including Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn) to be honored.

Shannon averaged 20.2 points and 4.3 rebounds during his two seasons at Illinois after starting his career at Texas Tech. He averaged 23.0 points and 2.3 3-pointers (36.2 percent) as a senior to lead the Illini to an Elite Eight appearance last March.

After playing short minutes in only four of the Timberwolves' first 19 games, Shannon caught fire in a brief G-League stint and quickly returned to Minneapolis. Since rejoining Minnesota Dec. 2, he has played in four of six games, averaging more (if still limited) minutes than he previously received.

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