Minnesota Timberwolves draft former Illinois star Terrence Shannon Jr. at No. 27

Shannon reportedly had buzz at No. 11 to the Chicago Bulls before they made another hometown pick with G League Ignite wing Matas Buzelis. That left the former Illinois guard waiting — and waiting some more — until the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled the trigger with the No. 27 overall pick, making Shannon the first Illini selected since Meyers Leonard in 2012 (or Brandin Podziemski last year depending on how he’s counted).

“It’s like a dream coming true,” Shannon told WGN on Wednesday about his NBA future. “I’m just grateful and happy for the opportunity to play in the NBA soon and become an NBA player. I’m shocked honestly. It’s a crazy moment — an out-of-body experience. It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life. It’s coming to reality, and all my hard work has paid off. You would have these dreams, but everybody doesn’t make it this far.”

Shannon watched the first round play out from Chicago after not receiving a green room invite to the draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. That allowed him to celebrate with family, friends and his former coaches, including Illinois’ Brad Underwood and Mississippi’s Chris Beard, who coached him at Texas Tech.

Shannon’s selection in the first round was the final moment of a truncated pre-draft process. While he attended the NBA draft combine in Chicago last month, a hamstring injury kept him from participating in the physical testing and workouts.

The conclusion of Shannon’s trial in Douglas County (Kan.) District Court earlier this month — he was found not guilty on a pair of felony charges — also limited his time and meant squeezing in a reported eight workouts in nine days leading into the draft.

“He was the type of talent that could be a lottery pick, but he ran into a significant legal difficulty in December,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said Wednesday night about Shannon. “He had a great start to the season where it was him and Zach Edey for national player of the year, and he was cruising to be a First team All-American. … From the very beginning, Terrence Shannon asserted his innocence and fought for it. I thought it was significant he testified in his own trial.”

Shannon reportedly worked out with the Bulls in addition to the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and the Timberwolves, who made the decision to use a first-round pick on the 6-foot-6 guard. Minnesota finished 56-26 last season and also traded for the draft rights to Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham on Wednesday night.

“My defense, how I score in transition and just the way I compete,” Shannon said he would bring to the next level. “The energy I bring to the game, I feel like, will be really impactful.”