Terrence Shannon Jr. turned his upside-down jersey into a motivational moment.
During halftime of the Illinois-Michigan State game Saturday, Illinois held a ceremony to honor the jersey of the men's basketball star who led the program to its first Elite Eight appearance last year since 2005.
There was one major issue.
The banner that would go into the rafters at State Farm Center was positioned upside-down as Shannon pulled the cord to reveal it.
Now, Shannon has taken the strange moment and turned it into something positive. On Tuesday, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard announced a fundraiser with shirt designs that reference the moment.
When life has you upside down, turn it around⏳
— Terrence Shannon Jr (@Sn1per_T) February 18, 2025
Proceeds from my upside-down banner shirt will benefit the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club. Thank you to Gameday Spirit and Illinois for helping me bring this idea to life!https://t.co/ObXbyh4eli pic.twitter.com/uM0LtX95i5
The front of the shirt features Shannon's banner with a message on the back: "When life has you upside down, turn it around!" with "upside-down" -- literally -- upside down.
Proceeds from the shirt will benefit the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club of Champaign, Illinois.
After the upside-down jersey was presented during halftime, Illinois athletic department officials apologized for the mishap.
"We need to make sure we understand that in life, mistakes happen," Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said after the Fighting Illini's 79-65 loss to Michigan State. "But there are also certain moments where mistakes can't happen. And tonight, we stole that moment from [Shannon] and that's on us and something that we have apologized to him for, apologized to his mom. We want to make sure that we apologize to our fans and everybody who was excited to be a part of this experience tonight."