NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen has just announced that his oldest son Antron Pippen has died at age 33. 

“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,” he said on April 19 under a series of Instagram photos of his son. The heartbreaking announcement continued, “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.”

Although he did not state his son’s cause of death, he did ask fans to, “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’s mother, Karen McCollum, has yet to make a statement about her son’s death. Pippen welcomed his son with McCollum in 1987. Pippen and McCollum met sometime in the year 1980 and got married a year after Antron was born. Two years later they divorced. 

In his college years, Antron went on to play basketball at Texas A&M International University and Georgia Technical College.

The 55-year-old Chicago Bulls legend has eight children total. He fathered twins Tyler and Taylor with his former girlfriend Sonya Roby. Unfortunately, Tyler passed away just nine days after being born. His third-oldest child is Sierra Pippen. He welcomed her with his ex-fiancée Yvette De Leon. Pippen’s last four children, Scotty, Preston, Justin and Sophia, all come from his ex-wife Larsa Pippen.