Scottie Pippen’s Eldest Son Antron Passes Away At 33

Scottie Pippen, former small forward for the Chicago Bulls, has announced that his son Antron Pippen has died.

Antron was a former basketball player as well, having a successful high school career and being within the top 100 prospects in his age group for periods of time. He played college ball as a guard for Southern Georgia Technical College as well as Texas A&M International University. In a statement on Monday, Pippen said, “I’m heartbroken to share that yesterday, I said goodbye to my firstborn son Antron. The two of us shared a love for basketball and we had countless conversations about the game. Antron suffered from chronic asthma and if he hadn’t had it, I truly believe he would’ve made it to the NBA. He never let that get him down, though—Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I am so proud of the man that he became.”

Pippen, a six-time NBA champion, had eight children, but Antron was his only child from his first marriage to Karen McCollum. He did not disclose a cause of death, but simply asked that people keep him and his family in their thoughts. “Please keep his mom, Karen, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. A kind heart and beautiful soul gone way too soon. I love you, son, rest easy until we meet again,” Pippen said in a statement on Instagram.