Antron, who played basketball in college and shared many of his father’s professional dreams, was the first of Pippen’s seven children and his only child with ex-wife Karen McCollum.
Pippen did not reveal Antron’s cause of death or his age.
“A good heart and a beautiful soul have disappeared far too quickly,” Pippen wrote in a post on Monday recalling Antron. “I love you, son, rest assured until we meet again.”
The former Chicago Bull influenced his son to play the sport he made a name for and improve his game, Antron Pippen said in 2005 from the NBPA Top 100 High School Camp, where he played alongside future greats such as Steph Curry.
“He tells me a lot of things like I need to get stronger,” Antron told USA Today from camp. “I’m trying to make my own game, but I’m trying to play defense like him.”
He went on to play basketball for a season at South Georgia Technical College from 2006 to 2007 and another season at Texas A&M International University from 2008 to 2009, according to his ESPN athlete profile.
Pippen said on Monday that his son “suffered from chronic asthma” and could have played in the NBA if not because of his illness.
“He never let that discourage him, though – Antron stayed positive and worked hard, and I’m so proud of the man he became,” Pippen tweeted.
The six-time NBA champion asked fans to pray for McCollum and the rest of Anthron’s loved ones.