Scottie Pippen’s son honored by mother following weekend funeral
"Your wings were ready but my heart wasn't."
Days after Scottie Pippen’s son Antron was laid to rest, his mother Karen Pippen, paid tribute to him on social media, noting in an Instagram post that it was “a pleasure and honor” to be his mother.
Antron Pippen died on April 18 at age 33. He was Scottie’s eldest son and his only child with Karen. The two were married from 1988 to 1990, and seven years after they called it quits, Scottie tied the knot with his now-ex Larsa Pippen, with whom he shares four children. The NBA icon also has a daughter with ex-fiancée Yvette De Leon. As theGRIO previously reported, this is not the first loss of a child for Pippen. His daughter Tyler with ex-girlfriend Sonya Roby died within days of her birth on July 20, 1994. Her twin Taylor survived, who is now 26 years old.
Read More: Scottie Pippen’s son Antron dies at 33: ‘I’m heartbroken’
Scottie and Karen have not revealed Antron’s cause of death. The news of his passing was first shared by his father last week in a series of social media posts.
On Tuesday, Karen took to Instagram to post a loving message to her son. Her full post read: “Your wings were ready but my heart wasn’t. Son, it has been such a pleasure and honor to be your mother. You’ve left me with so many wonderful memories that I will treasure daily. Your transition has left a huge gap in my heart and the pain is quite unbearable. I will miss you tremendously and my love for you is for ever. Rest well, my baby boy, until we meet again.”
In Scottie’s April 19 announcement about his son’s death, he noted that Antron had chronic asthma, which prevented him from reaching the NBA.
“I’m heartbroken to share that yesterday, I said goodbye to my firstborn son Antron,” Scottie wrote. “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 continued, “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. A kind heart and beautiful soul gone way too soon. I love you, son, rest easy until we meet again.”
Pippen asked his fans, supporters and the public to keep his loved ones in their thoughts.
“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,” the caption concluded.
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Larsa also reacted to Antron’s death on social media. “Some truths in life are hard to accept,” she wrote on Instagram Story. “Your memories will never be forgotten! They will always remain with us forever. You are forever in our hearts, we love u and will miss u always Rip Antron.”
Antron followed in his father’s footsteps by playing basketball for Texas A&M International University and South Georgia Technical College. SGT offered their condolences.
“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,” the post read.
*theGRIO’s Stephanie Guerilus contributed to this report.
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