The Minnesota Timberwolves selected former Illinois wing Terrence Shannon Jr. No. 27 overall on Wednesday night in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Shannon became the first Illini selected in the first round since Meyers Leonard was taken No. 11 overall by the Portland Trailblazers in 2012.

He becomes the second player of Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood's tenure to be drafted, following Ayo Dosunmu in 2021.

Shannon participated in the NBA Draft Combine in May. At that time, Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek has Shannon going No. 31 overall, the first pick in the second round. He was projected to go No. 20 in the latest mock draft.

After not receiving a green room invite to the draft, Shannon gathered with friends, family, and coaches at a draft party in Chicago. Guests included Illinois coach Brad Underwood.

" It’s like a dream coming true,” Shannon told WGN. “I’m just grateful and happy for the opportunity to play in the NBA. It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life."

Shannon will reportedly make $2.63 million guaranteed his first season and $2.76 million guaranteed his second season. He joins a Timberwolves team that went 56-26, it's most wins since 2003-04, and advanced to the Wester Conference Finals.

Shannon was the second first round pick for Minnesota on the night.The Timberwolves traded into the lottery for Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8.

"He's another downhill guy," Timberwolves, president Tim Connelly said about Shannon. ""He's a three-position defender. We believe he brings toughness. He's an unbelievably competitive guy. He's a guy who is going to play with pace."

This past season at Illinois, Shannon Jr. was named a 2023-24 AP All-America Third Team selection as a fifth-year senior after he ranked third in the country in scoring at 23 points per game.

He broke the Illinois single-season scoring record, finishing with 736 points. After he lead Illinois to its first Elite Eight since 2005, he was named to the 2024 NCAA Tournament All-East Region Team.

Shannon likely breathed a big sigh of relieve when he heard his name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. His Draft stock had previously dropped through no fault of his own, a long ordeal that Illinois fans became intimately familiar with.

His NBA dream were nearly shattered by false allegations of sexual assault.

After initially being suspended by the university when charges were filed in Kansas, Shannon took the University of Illinois to court. A federal judge ruled that his civil rights had been violated and he returned to the court after missing six games.

Shannon was ultimately acquitted in a criminal trial in Douglas County, Kansas earlier this month in an open and shut case that included no incriminating physical evidence or eye witness testimony.

"The off court reputation is sterling," Connelly said. "We talked to the coaches at Texas Tech, we talked to the coaches at Illinois, they all had good things to say, amazing things. Obviously, he was on the wrong end of an unfortunate situation. I think its unfortunate that it's even a footnote. Oftentimes the minute you are accused you are found guilty."

"We are so excited for Terrence; this is the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to the game he loves," Underwood said. "His decision to return for a final year of college and continue to develop not only helped our team achieve historic success, it solidified him as a first-round pick and allowed his NBA dreams to come true.

"The Timberwolves made a great decision by selecting Terrence, they are getting a two-way player who should make an immediate impact with his ability to score in transition, attack the rim, shoot threes, and defend. It was a privilege for our staff and his teammates to be here in Chicago celebrating this special moment with Terrence and his family, and it's another proud day for Fighting Illini Basketball."