Illinois basketball icon Terrence Shannon Jr. was left embarrassed on the court on Saturday night after his jersey retirement ceremony went very badly wrong.
Shannon Jr. is now an NBA star with the Minnesota Timberwolves but he enjoyed two prolific college seasons in Illinois, averaging 23 PPG in his final year.
He was invited back by the program this week in order for them to retire his No 0 jersey, but a woeful mistake made the ceremony memorable for all the wrong reasons.
As Shannon Jr pulled the cord to unveil his jersey in front of a 15,000-strong crowd at State Farm Center, excitement quickly turned to confusion and laughter from those in attendance.
Incredibly, Illinois staffers had inadvertently set up the banner upside down, leaving the NBA star staring up at his name in confusion.
He managed to shake off the embarrassment, and after the game the team’s athletic director Josh Whitman fronted up and issued a groveling apology.
Terrence Shannon Jr. pulled the cord on his banner, only for it to unfurl upside down
Athletic director Josh Whitman (R) later issued a groveling apology to Shannon Jr and his mom
‘Obviously we had a regrettable situation at halftime with the jersey, around Terrence’s celebration. I just wanted to address that briefly before Brad came up and talked about the game,’ he began.
‘Obviously really regrettable moment, it’s a shame it happened that way. Of course I didn’t hang the jersey but I’m ultimately responsible for everything that happens in this building, so that’s on me tonight.
‘We need to make sure… we understand that in life mistakes can happen, but there are also certain moments when mistakes can’t happen. Tonight, we stole that moment from Terrence and that’s on us.’
Shannon Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves after two exceptional years at Illinois
Staffers had also taken the time to lay out free shirts for fans carrying Shannon Jr.’s name
He went on to explain that the program had apologized to both the player and his mom, after ‘months of planning’ were undone by the ‘inexcusable’ moment, caught live on camera.
Fans on social media also reacted to the shocking circumstances, with one writing that the program had ‘done him dirty’.
Another added: ‘Illinois completely botched Terrence Shannon Jr’s jersey retirement ceremony.’
A third noted: ‘Feel so bad for him.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .