 Shannon withTexas Tech in 2020 | |
| No. 00 – Minnesota Timberwolves | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2000-07-30)July 30, 2000 (age 24) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: 1st round, 27th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2024–2025 | →Iowa Wolves |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Terrence Edward Shannon Jr. (born July 30, 2000) is an American professionalbasketball player for theMinnesota Timberwolves of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theTexas Tech Red Raiders and theIllinois Fighting Illini.
Shannon was born to Treanette Redding and Terrence Shannon Sr. His mother and father separated when he was two years old.[1] Shannon has four siblings through his mom and three through his dad.[1]
Shannon was interested in basketball from a young age, especially after experiencing a growth spurt early in high school.[2] He attendedLincoln Park High School inChicago, averaging 15 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a senior.[3] Shannon was also a receiver on the school'sfootball team.[4] After having noNCAA Division I basketball scholarship offers by the end of his senior season, hereclassified to the 2019 class and moved toIMG Academy inBradenton, Florida.[5]
His success with Mac Irvin Fire on theAmateur Athletic Union circuit drew attention from many college programs.[6] A four-starrecruit, he originally committed toDePaul before switching his commitment toTexas Tech.[7] He chose the Red Raiders over offers from DePaul,Florida State,Georgetown andIllinois.[8]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence Shannon Jr. SF | Chicago, IL | IMG Academy (FL) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Mar 11, 2019 | |
Star ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals:62 247Sports:127 ESPN:94 | ||||||
Sources:
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Shannon entered hisfreshman season as one of Texas Tech's startingguards. On December 4, 2019, Shannon recorded a freshman season-high 24 points and eight rebounds in a 65–60 overtime loss to DePaul.[9] As a freshman, he averaged 9.8 points and 4.1rebounds per game, earningBig 12 Conference All-Freshman Team honors.[10]
Entering hissophomore season, Shannon was named to theJulius Erving Award watch list.[11] On January 30, 2021, Shannon registered his first careerdouble-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds againstLSU. Going into theBig 12 tournament, the Red Raiders were 9–8 in the Big 12, good enough to earn the 6-seed. During their quarterfinal matchup againstTexas, Shannon played 34 minutes making fourthree-point field goals in way of an 18-point outing. Despite his performance, Texas Tech was eliminated by a score of 67–66. The Red Raiders were then granted the 6-seed in the South Region of theNCAA tournament. In their Round of 32 matchup againstArkansas, Shannon scored 20 points despite the Red Raiders being eliminated.
As a sophomore, Shannon averaged 12.9 points, four rebounds, 1.4assists, and 1.1steals per game. For his efforts, he earned Third-team All-Big 12 honors. On April 8, 2021, Shannon declared for the2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12] He ultimately returned to Texas Tech for a third season.
On November 7, Shannon was suspended indefinitely due to an eligibility review.[13] He was reinstated on November 17, after missing three games.[14] As a junior, he averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and two assists per game. On March 25, 2022, Shannon entered theNCAA transfer portal.[15]
On April 29, 2022, he committed toIllinois.[16] After his first season at Illinois, he declared for the2023 NBA draft and played in the NBA draft combine. He later withdrew from the draft and returned to Illinois for a second and final season.
Shannon played 11 games for the Illini before being suspended for six games, Shannon was considered a front-runner for theNational Player of the Year award before his suspension.[17] After a preliminary injunction was granted, his suspension was ended and he resumed playing the rest of the season.
Following the season's end and the not-guilty verdict, it was announced that Shannon's jersey would behonored by the university.[18] His number 0 jersey was unveiled in a halftime ceremony on February 15, 2025, with Shannon in attendance; due to an error by the athletic department, the jersey was initially hung upside down.[19] Making light of the situation, Shannon partnered with Gameday Spirit to release t-shirts referencing the mishap, with a portion of the proceeds going to the local Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club of Champaign.[20]
On June 26, 2024, Shannon was selected with the 27th overall pick by theMinnesota Timberwolves in the2024 NBA draft,[21] and on July 8, he signed with Minnesota.[22] Throughout his rookie season, he wasassigned to theIowa Wolves several times.[23]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Texas Tech | 29 | 21 | 23.5 | .470 | .257 | .829 | 4.1 | 1.0 | .9 | .4 | 9.8 |
| 2020–21 | Texas Tech | 28 | 13 | 26.7 | .448 | .357 | .756 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .1 | 12.9 |
| 2021–22 | Texas Tech | 26 | 20 | 25.0 | .455 | .384 | .784 | 2.6 | 2.0 | .8 | .2 | 10.4 |
| 2022–23 | Illinois | 31 | 30 | 32.1 | .442 | .321 | .790 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .5 | 17.2 |
| 2023–24 | Illinois | 32 | 31 | 33.9 | .475 | .362 | .801 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .9 | 23.0 |
| Career | 146 | 115 | 28.5 | .459 | .347 | .793 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .4 | 15.0 | |
In the early morning of Saturday, September 9, 2023 (following the prior day'sKansas–Illinois football game), Shannon allegedly penetrated Madi Neill with his fingers at the Jayhawk Cafe.[24] Months later, on December 27, Shannon was arrested on a warrant issued by theDouglas County (Kansas) District Attorney for the charge of rape; sexual intercourse without consent, and use of force against a victim.[25][26] Shannon posted bail the following day and was suspended by the team.[27]
No bar employees, security staff, friends, or roommates other than Neill’s best friend were interviewed.[28] The police took surveillance footage from the Jayhawk Cafe, however, the spot where the alleged crime took place occurred off-camera. Neill’s drinking the night of the alleged incident also varied between what she told the police and what was filed in her sexual assault exam report, but the police did not seek receipts to verify.[29] After completing the sexual assault exam the following day, Neill and her friend returned to the Jayhawk Cafe, one night after the alleged incident took place.[30]
Kansas playersKevin McCullar Jr. andHunter Dickinson, as well as graduate assistant DyShawn Hobson and Illini playerJustin Harmon testified that they did not witness Shannon interact with Neill the night of the alleged incident.[31]
Following a series of back-and-forth legal actions between Shannon and the University,[32] on January 19, Shannon was granted a preliminary injunction against the University of Illinois, thus making him eligible to play.[33] The University ultimately dropped its investigation with Shannon dropping his lawsuit as a result.[34]
On May 2, the DNA results were released through a hearing by Shannon's defense. Most of the DNA samples were unusable and one sample contained a mixture of at least three males, none of whom were Shannon.[35]
On June 7, Shannon's defense successfully motioned to include evidence of a third-party incident committed by Arterio Morris, who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at the Jayhawk Cafe less than two weeks prior to the alleged incident involving Shannon. On June 10, jury selection took place with a jury of eight men and seven women selected to serve as the 12 jurors and three alternates.[36] During the trial, Neill testified that Shannon grabbed her wrist when previously she had said no such grabbing occurred as her hands were occupied by her phone and drink.[29] Neill’s friend corroborated the grabbing, despite not mentioning it in previous testimony.[31] Shannon's defense presented text messages from a group chat between Neill and her friends implying that she may have been motivated by money, as they contained dollar sign emojis.[37] On June 13, Shannon was acquitted on both charges.[38]
Deputy district attorney Joshua Seiden, who took over the case from Chief Assistant district attorney Jennifer Tatum after she resigned in March,[39] left the office a week following the verdict.[40] On August 6, the Douglas County district attorney, Suzanne Valdez, lost her reelection campaign by finishing third in the Democratic primary election.[41]
On September 13, it was announced that Shannon and his mother were suing the Douglas County district attorney's office and police department for malicious prosecution and other claims.[42] An open-records request fromThe News-Gazette revealed that Shannon was seeking approximately $11.5 million while his mother was seeking $500,000.[43]