Scottie Pippen is mourning the loss of his firstborn son, Antron Pippen.
In a touching Instagram post, the retired NBA star announced that the 33-year-old passed away on Sunday. He reflected on his son’s shared love of basketball, which the two had “countless conversations” about.
Though Pippen didn’t reveal his cause of death, he did confirm that his son had chronic asthma, which kept the former Texas A&M International University player from becoming a professional hooper. Pippen says that his son “never let that get him down.” Instead, the athlete remained positive while dealing with his medical condition.
“I am so proud of the man that he became.”
Antron was born in 1987 to Pippen and Karen McCollum, who were married from 1988 to 1990. In his IG post, Pippen asked that everyone keep Karen and the rest of Antron’s loved ones in their thoughts and prayers.
In addition to attending Texas A&M, Antron also played at South Georgia Technical College during the 2006-2007 season. The school’s basketball team expressed their condolences and shared photos of Antron on their court during a game.
The Jets family was saddened to learn of the death of one of our former players, Antron Pippen. His family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. Antron was a Jet during the 2006-2007 season. #Jetfamily #SGTCJets pic.twitter.com/gAiXCr72z2
— SGTC Jets (@SGTCJets) April 19, 2021
