<p>Antron Pippen, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and once a top college prospect, has died. He was 33.</p>
<p>Scottie Pippen announced the death on his social media platforms, saying his oldest child died Sunday. He did not give a cause.</p>
<p>“I’m heartbroken to share that yesterday, I said goodbye to my firstborn son Antron,” Scottie Pippen wrote Monday. “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.”</p>
<p>Antron Pippen was an accomplished high school player in Georgia, then played college basketball at South Georgia Tech and Texas A&M International. </p>
<p>“The Jets family was saddened to learn of the death of one of our former players, Antron Pippen,” read a Twitter post from the South Georgia Tech athletic department. </p>
<p>Antron Pippen’s high school career was well-chronicled and he at one time was listed among the top 100 prospects at his age level. He acknowledged that sharing the last name of a six-time NBA champion generated extra attention.</p>
<p>“I’m used to the expectations,” Antron Pippen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a high school player in 2006. “When I was younger, it bothered me. I was trying to prove to people that I could play. I’m very proud of my father. But I can only be myself.”</p>
<p>Antron Pippen was the oldest of Scottie Pippen’s seven children. He was the only child from Pippen’s first marriage, to Karen McCollum.</p>
<p>“Please keep his mom, Karen, and all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers,” Scottie Pippen wrote. “A kind heart and beautiful soul gone way too soon. I love you, son, rest easy until we meet again.”</p>
