Lance Blanks, former Phoenix Suns general manager, died Wednesday at the age of 56, according to reports.
Blanks' cause of death was not revealed at the time of the announcement.
Former GM Lance Blanks has passed at 56 https://t.co/FxCvmTa7C2
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 4, 2023
"Blanks had an expansive career in basketball, beginning at the University of Virginia in 1985. He transferred to Texas, where he truly shone and became more widely recognized for his athletic talents," the Daily Caller reported.
"He averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his two years at UT, from 1988-1989," it added. "He was inducted into Texas’ Hall of Honor in 2007."
Ex-NBA GM, UT Basketball Legend Lance Blanks Dead At 56 https://t.co/m5tIYXURC8
— TMZ (@TMZ) May 4, 2023
Blanks was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons and played three seasons for the team and in Minnesota in the NBA before playing internationally.
Former NBA executive Lance Blanks dead at 56 https://t.co/BG4Ttduqx6 pic.twitter.com/W4Q3o1HWIi
— New York Post (@nypost) May 5, 2023
“Lance was a light for all those who knew him,” said NBA executive Joe Dumars, one of his Detroit teammates.
“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," he added in the statement from the New York Post.
"My dad was my person," Riley Blanks Reed said of his father in the report by TMZ. "He was my teacher, my idol, my best friend. The love I have for him is simply immeasurable."
An autopsy has reportedly been requested by the Dallas County Coroner's Office to better determine the cause of death.
The loss of Blanks is mourned by many affiliated with the NBA and at the University of Texas as the lifelong basketball great is remembered by those from his playing years and during his tenure as a general manager for the Phoenix Suns.