Not only was he an NBA athlete who played for the Pistons and Timberwolves, Lance Blanks was a legend in college basketball’s University of Texas back in the late 1980s, and a Phoenix Suns general manager at the end of his career.
Dallas County was the first to announce that the former athlete had passed away on Wednesday at the age of 56, while the causes and manner of his death are yet unknown as they await the exam results.
Our family has lost a true Longhorn legend. 🤘
Our thoughts & prayers go out to the family & friends of Lance Blanks. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/aOkdX95lsf
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) May 4, 2023
“Lance was a light for all those who knew him,” said NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars, who actually shared the court with Blanks in Detroit. “It’s been a privilege to have called him one of my closest friends. I’m eternally grateful for all the support he has shown me throughout the years. His legacy will be carried on, not only by his family, but by all those whose lives he touched for the better. You will be dearly missed, brother.”
Blanks started his basketball career in 1985 at the University of Virginia, but after two seasons got transferred to Texas to represent the Longhorns. The athlete soon became a superstar as he averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 1988 and 1989, becoming a Texas’ Hall of Honor inductee in 2007.
“We lost a truly great one with the passing of Lance Blanks, and we are all just crushed and heartbroken,” said University of Texas Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. “Lance is a Longhorn Legend, an icon, and had such a far-reaching presence and influence in the world of college and professional basketball.
“He was just a wonderful person who always had such positive energy, an engaging smile, and a presence that lit up any room. He absolutely loved his Longhorns, was a proud Texan, and was always lending a helping hand to anyone in need.”
The shooting guard then went on to be selected by Detroit in the first round of the NBA Draft in 1990.
Blanks played for three campaigns both for the Pistons and later in Minnesota, and then continued his career outside of the US, only to return decades later as an NBA excecutive for the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns.
Friends and family also dedicated heart-warming messages for Banks
Blanks’ two daughters and several of family members, released statements on his passing the past Thursday afternoon.
“My dad was my person,” Riley Blanks Reed said. “He was my teacher, my idol, my best friend. The love I have for him is simply immeasurable. The love I have for him is simply immeasurable. He carried his family and friends on his selfless shoulders and he was the wisest man I’ll ever know.”
Her sister Bryn expressed just how much admiration they shared for him. “My heart aches for the tragic loss of my daddy. He was our father, our rock, our superhero — the one who was there when we needed him most. Life will never be the same without him,” she added.
A good friend of his, Eric Metcalf, who went on to become a NFL star after being a UT student with Blanks, also wrote a loving message dedicated to his old friend.
“Everyone hug your family and friends and tell them you love them. We lost a dear friend and brother. People are going through things and you never know it!!!” he wrote on his Twitter account.
