Introduction
Tyler Roby Pippen was one of the daughters of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, but her story is very different from those of his other children. While several members of the Pippen family grew up in the public eye and became involved in basketball, volleyball, modeling, or entertainment, Tyler’s life ended only a few days after she was born. She was born on July 20, 1994, alongside her twin sister, Taylor Pippen. Their mother was Sonya Roby, who had a relationship with Scottie Pippen during the 1990s.
Many people know Scottie Pippen because of his six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and his famous partnership with Michael Jordan. However, his family history is more complicated and includes children from different relationships. Tyler Roby Pippen remains one of the least-known members of that family. Her death as a newborn has also created confusion online, especially because reliable reports have never publicly confirmed a specific medical cause of death.
Quick Bio
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Tyler Roby Pippen |
| Known For | Daughter of NBA legend Scottie Pippen |
| Date of Birth | July 20, 1994 |
| Birthplace | United States |
| Date of Death | Around July 29, 1994 |
| Age at Death | 9 days |
| Father | Scottie Pippen |
| Mother | Sonya Roby |
| Twin Sister | Taylor Pippen |
| Siblings | Antron Pippen, Taylor Pippen, Sierra Pippen, Scotty Pippen Jr., Preston Pippen, Justin Pippen, Sophia Pippen |
| Cause of Death | Not publicly confirmed by reliable sources |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous Family Connection | Pippen family |
| Grandfather | Preston Pippen Sr. |
| Grandmother | Ethel Pippen |
| Status | Deceased |
Who Was Tyler Roby Pippen?
Tyler Roby Pippen was the daughter of Scottie Pippen and Sonya Roby. She was born as a twin on July 20, 1994. Her twin sister, Taylor Pippen, survived and later grew into a successful athlete. Tyler, however, died only nine days after her birth. Because her life was so short, she never had the chance to develop a public identity, career, education, or personal life of her own. Much of what is known about her comes from reports about Scottie Pippen’s family and the legal proceedings concerning the twins.
Tyler was born when Scottie Pippen was already one of the biggest basketball stars in the United States. By 1994, he had already helped the Chicago Bulls win three consecutive NBA championships. His fame meant that his personal life received considerable media attention. Even so, very few details about Tyler herself became public. She should therefore be remembered as Scottie Pippen’s infant daughter rather than being described with unsupported details about a career, personality, or adult life.
What Happened to Tyler Roby Pippen?
Tyler’s story is short and tragic. Historical reports show that Sonya Roby gave birth to twin girls on July 20, 1994. One of those babies, later identified in family profiles as Tyler, died nine days after birth. Her twin sister Taylor survived. Reports from the period focused mainly on the paternity case involving Scottie Pippen and Sonya Roby rather than on the medical circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death.
Scottie Pippen later acknowledged that he was the father of the twins after DNA evidence became part of the legal proceedings. The case also involved medical and birth-related expenses. These records are important because they confirm the family relationship between Scottie, Sonya, Taylor, and Tyler. They also correct several inaccurate stories online that mistakenly identify Tyler’s mother or describe her as a different child within the Pippen family.
Tyler Roby Pippen’s Cause of Death
The exact cause of Tyler Roby Pippen’s death has never been publicly confirmed by a strong and reliable source. Reports state that she died in the hospital only nine days after she was born, but they do not provide a verified medical diagnosis. For that reason, it would be inaccurate to state that she died from a particular illness, premature-birth complication, birth defect, or other condition unless such information is supported by an official medical record or a trustworthy family statement.
This is an important point because several online biographies have attempted to fill the missing information with assumptions. Some repeat unverified explanations as if they were confirmed facts. The more accurate description is simply that Tyler died during infancy, nine days after her birth, and that the specific medical reason was not publicly disclosed. Her death should therefore be discussed carefully and respectfully without creating details that are not supported by reliable information.
Tyler Roby Pippen, Sonya Roby, and Scottie Pippen
Sonya Roby was the mother of Tyler and Taylor Pippen. She did not become a major public celebrity, and much less is known about her life than about Scottie Pippen or his later wife, Larsa Pippen. Sonya became publicly connected to Scottie mainly because of the birth of the twins and the legal case concerning their paternity. DNA evidence established Scottie as the twins’ father, and he eventually acknowledged paternity.
The legal proceedings also dealt with financial responsibility for the children and medical costs related to their birth. Contemporary reports mentioned different payments connected to birth and outstanding medical expenses at different stages of the case. Sonya retained custody of the surviving twin, Taylor. Tyler and Taylor therefore belonged to an earlier part of Scottie Pippen’s family history, before his marriage to Larsa Pippen and before the birth of several of his better-known younger children.
Tyler Roby Pippen and Her Twin Sister Taylor Pippen
Taylor Pippen is Tyler Roby Pippen’s twin sister and one of the most important people connected to Tyler’s story. The two girls shared the same parents, Scottie Pippen and Sonya Roby, and were born on the same day in July 1994. Sadly, they had completely different life journeys because Tyler died during infancy while Taylor survived and later built an impressive life of her own.
Taylor became a talented volleyball player at Southern Illinois University. She earned recognition both for her athletic performance and for her academic achievements. Taylor later signed a professional volleyball contract in Spain, showing that athletic ability also existed outside the basketball side of the Pippen family. Her achievements make the contrast between the twins especially moving. Taylor was able to study, compete, travel, and build a career, while Tyler never had the opportunity to experience childhood.
Scottie Pippen’s Children and Tyler’s Siblings
Scottie Pippen fathered eight documented children when Tyler is included. They are Antron Pippen, Taylor Pippen, Tyler Roby Pippen, Sierra Pippen, Scotty Pippen Jr., Preston Pippen, Justin Pippen, and Sophia Pippen. Some media reports describe Scottie as having seven children, but this usually happens because Tyler is omitted from the total despite being mentioned elsewhere. When every documented biological child is counted, the number reaches eight.
Tyler’s full sister was Taylor because both girls shared the same mother and father. Her other brothers and sisters were paternal half-siblings. Antron Pippen was Scottie’s son with his first wife, Karen McCollum. Sierra Pippen was born from Scottie’s relationship with Yvette De Leon. Scotty Pippen Jr., Preston, Justin, and Sophia were born during Scottie’s marriage to Larsa Pippen. This large family structure explains why Tyler is sometimes incorrectly connected with the wrong mother or sibling in online articles.
Sierra Pippen and Scotty Pippen Jr.
Sierra Pippen is Tyler’s paternal half-sister. Sierra’s mother is Yvette De Leon, not Sonya Roby. She was born in 1995, less than a year after Tyler and Taylor. Because the births happened close together, some websites have confused the relationships between the children. Tyler and Sierra were not twins, and they did not share the same mother. Tyler’s only twin was Taylor Pippen.
Scotty Pippen Jr. is another of Tyler’s paternal half-siblings. He was born in 2000 to Scottie and Larsa Pippen and followed his father into professional basketball. After playing college basketball at Vanderbilt, Scotty Jr. reached the NBA and became part of the Memphis Grizzlies. His basketball career has brought a new generation of attention to the Pippen name. Tyler never met him because she died approximately six years before he was born.
Scottie Pippen’s Ex-Wife Larsa Pippen and Their Family
Larsa Pippen is probably the best-known woman associated with Scottie Pippen’s family, but she was not Tyler’s mother. Scottie and Larsa married in 1997, several years after Tyler’s birth and death. They had four children together: Scotty Pippen Jr., Preston Pippen, Justin Pippen, and Sophia Pippen. Their marriage lasted for many years before their divorce was eventually finalized in 2021.
Larsa later became a television personality and gained further attention through The Real Housewives of Miami. Because she and Scottie raised four children together in the public eye, people sometimes wrongly assume that every younger member of the Pippen family was Larsa’s child. Tyler and Taylor, however, were daughters of Sonya Roby. Understanding this difference is important for accurately presenting Scottie Pippen’s family history.
The Pippen Family’s Athletic Legacy
Sports have played a major role in the Pippen family. Scottie Pippen became one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. He won six championships with the Chicago Bulls, became a seven-time NBA All-Star, earned major defensive honors, won Olympic gold medals, and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. His success naturally placed his children under public attention as they grew older.
Several of his children later showed athletic ability of their own. Taylor became a high-level volleyball player, while Scotty Pippen Jr. became a professional basketball player. Justin Pippen also pursued competitive basketball. Antron Pippen, Scottie’s eldest son, played basketball as well before his death in 2021 at the age of 33. Tyler was never able to participate in this family sporting tradition because her life ended only days after it began.
Conclusion
Tyler Roby Pippen was the infant daughter of Scottie Pippen and Sonya Roby and the twin sister of Taylor Pippen. She was born on July 20, 1994, but died only nine days later. Her very short life means that there are far fewer details about her than about Scottie Pippen’s other children. Most importantly, no reliable public source has confirmed a specific medical cause of Tyler’s death, so claims about exactly how she died should be treated with caution.
Tyler remains part of the larger Pippen family story alongside Taylor, Antron, Sierra, Scotty Jr., Preston, Justin, and Sophia. Her story also helps explain the complicated structure of Scottie Pippen’s family and clears up common confusion about Sonya Roby, Larsa Pippen, Taylor Pippen, and Sierra Pippen. Although Tyler never had the chance to grow up, her name continues to be remembered as part of the life and family history of one of basketball’s most famous players.
