Lance Blanks

Lance Blanks was an American professional basketball player and executive in the National Basketball Association. Later, he worked as an analyst for ESPN. Blanks also spent several seasons playing in Europe.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Lance Blanks was born on September 9, 1966, in Del Rio, Texas to Sid Blanks, a football player who played in the American Football League and National Football League. He stood 193 cm tall and his weight was listed at 86 kg. Blanks played as a right-handed and a shooting guard.

Blanks was married to Renee and had two daughters, Riley and Bryn. His father Sid had Parkinson's disease after playing professional football for years. He was cousins with Larvell Blanks in Major League Basketball.

On May 3, 2023, Blanks died by suicide in Dallas, Texas at the age of 56.

High School and College Career

Blanks attended McCullough High School in The Woodlands, Texas. He was named Texas Mr. Basketball and a third-team Parade All-American in 1985.

Blanks played collegiately at the University of Virginia from 1985 to 1987 before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where he played from 1988 to 1990.

At Texas, Blanks and teammates Travis Mays and Joey Wright were known as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the 1989–90 season.

He was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2007.

Professional Playing Career

Blanks was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 26th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1990 NBA Draft. He played three seasons in the NBA from 1990 to 1993 with the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the NBA, he played one season in the Continental Basketball Association and three more seasons in Europe, leading teams in Hungary and Cyprus to league titles.

Post-Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Blanks transitioned to NBA front-office roles. He joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2000 as a scout and was elevated to director of scouting in 2002.

Blanks worked five seasons as assistant general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010. From 2010 to 2013, he served as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns.

From 2020 until he died in 2023, Blanks worked as a television analyst for the Texas Longhorns on Longhorn Network. He also hosted a symposium on concussive injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at the University of Texas, discussing the effect of football on the brain.

Blanks worked with the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program as well.

Career Highlights

• 1985 - Third-team Parade All-American
• 1985 - Texas Mr. Basketball

Career NBA Statistics

• Games Played: 142
• Points: 289 (2.0 ppg)
• Rebounds: 110 (0.8 rpg)
• Assists: 117 (0.8 apg)
• Steals: 39 (0.3 spg)
• Blocks: 8 (0.1 bpg)