Basketball star Scottie Pippen’s eldest son has died. The NBA Hall of Famer announced his son Antron Pippen’s death, aged 33, on Twitter on Monday.
In a heartfelt tribute, the 55-year-old said Antron could have made it to the NBA had it not been for his chronic asthma.
Antron’s cause of death was not immediately clear.
The 33-year-old was Pippen’s only child from his first marriage to Karen McCollum. The pair were married for two years from 1988 to 1990.
Antron is the eldest of Pippen’s eight children.
Pippen has four children with his estranged second wife Larsa Pippen and three from two previous relationships, including one daughter who died shortly after birth.
‘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,’ Pippen, who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, tweeted. 
‘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.
‘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.’
Antron followed in his father’s footsteps to play basketball ball at Texas A&M International University.