“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 wrote in a tweet. “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.”

Pippen’s statement continues: “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 cause of death has not yet been announced, but as his father noted in the Twitter tribute, the 33-year-old suffered from chronic asthma.

Antron, who was born on December 29, 1987, was Pippen’s eldest child. He was the only son that Pippen had with ex-wife Karen McCollum. Pippen and McCollum were married from 1988 to 1990.

Pippen’s eldest son played college basketball at Texas A&M International University and South Georgia Technical College.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the South Georgia Technical College Jets wrote, “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,” the statement adds.

After his time playing college basketball, Pippen went on to play with the World Basketball Association.

Scottie Pippen is widely known for his time with the Chicago Bulls, when he played alongside Michael Jordan. During their time on the Bulls together, Pippen and Jordan won a total of six NBA championships. Across his entire professional career, Pippen played 17 total NBA seasons with several different teams. Among other accolades, Pippen was a seven-time NBA All Star and was selected to the NBA’s all-defensive first team eight times.

Shortly after Pippen announced the death of his son, fans took to Twitter to share their condolences and express support for the retired NBA star and his family.

“Just terrible news no parent should ever have to share,” the New York Post’s Brian Lewis wrote on Twitter.

Another user wrote, “My thoughts are with you Scottie. Losing a child is the hardest things a parent will ever have to endure.”