There has been a lot of commotion this NBA offseason, and the Illinois basketball program has been at the heart of most of the noise.
The first domino to drop was Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was sent to the Miami Heat for a truck full of assets, one being former Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who was the linchpin to make the trade go through.
A day later, Ayo Dosunmu signed a big contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. More Illinois action. Just a couple of days after that, LaMelo Ball was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Timberwolves.
While no Illinois players were involved in the trade directly, one former Illinois star is now feeling the ramifications.
Ball was introduced to the Minnesota fans, and he will be wearing No. 1 next season. The only problem is that it was Terrence Shannon Jr.'s number for the 2025-26 squad.
On Thursday, it was revealed that Shannon is switching to the No. 4. This is a big change for the former Illini guard, and we are still trying to get word whether this was forced by the upper management, or if this was a deal hashed out between Ball and Shannon.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (@Sn1per_T) will wear No. 4 for the #Timberwolves. Number last worn by Julian Phillips in 2026. #NBA pic.twitter.com/LrQE6MfMag
— Etienne Catalan (@EtienneCatalan) July 16, 2026
Terrence Shannon Jr. has been on a number roller coaster throughout his playing career
Shannon has been a great player for quite some time. His time in the high school ranks began with Lincoln Park. He wore No. 0 with that program.
During his high school days, Shannon played for the Mac Irvin Fire AAU program. He wore No. 11 with that team.
In his final season of high school basketball, Shannon transferred down to IMG Academy, where he wore No. 3.
The first stop out of high school was at Texas Tech. Shannon carried the No. 1 on his jersey for three seasons with the Red Raiders. He then transferred to Illinois, where he was No. 0 for two years.
We are now in the third season for Shannon, and the number change hasn’t slowed down. He started with the Timberwolves wearing No. 00. In year two, he changed to No. 1. And now, with Ball on the team, Shannon will wear No. 4.
For those counting at home, that is six different numbers, six different teams, eight different jersey number changes, and Shannon is entering his 12th season of basketball, starting with his freshman year in high school.
This has been a number roller coaster for Shannon. If there is a jersey collector of his, that is quite the investment.
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