| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1966-09-09)September 9, 1966 Del Rio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 3, 2023(2023-05-03) (aged 56) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | McCullough (The Woodlands, Texas) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1990: 1st round, 26th overall pick |
| Selected by theDetroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1990–1999 |
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard |
| Number | 32, 21 |
| Career history | |
| 1990–1992 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1992–1993 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 1993 | Quad City Thunder |
| 1993–1994 | Oklahoma City Cavalry |
| 1994–1995 | Gießen 46ers |
| 1997–1998 | Albacomp Fehérvár |
| 1998–1999 | Keravnos |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 289 (2.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 110 (0.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 117 (0.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Lance Blanks (September 9, 1966 – May 3, 2023) was an American professionalbasketball player and executive who worked as an analyst forESPN. He played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) for theDetroit Pistons andMinnesota Timberwolves. Blanks also spent several seasons playing in Europe. Blanks worked as the general manager of thePhoenix Suns from 2010 to 2013.
Blanks was born on September 9, 1966, inDel Rio, Texas,[1][2] toSid Blanks, afootball player who played in theAmerican Football League andNational Football League. Lance Blanks attendedMcCullough High School inThe Woodlands, Texas, and was namedTexas Mr. Basketball and a third-teamParade All-American in 1985.[3][4]
Blanks played collegiately at theUniversity of Virginia and theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Blanks andTexas Longhorns teammatesTravis Mays andJoey Wright were known as the "BMW Scoring Machine" during the1989–90 season.[5] That team finished third in theSouthwest Conference and advanced to theElite Eight in the1990 NCAA tournament.[6] Blanks drew strong criticism and gained many detractors for his on-court antics and unsportsmanlike, excessive celebration, such as at the Elite Eight of the 1990 tournament.[7]
With 1,322 points, Blanks holds the record for the highest number of points by a two-year player and is the eighth-leading scorer in University of Texas history. Blanks ended his career at Texas as the all-time leader in steals and ranked fourth in career scoring average with 20.0 points per game.[5]
Blanks was inducted into Texas Athletics' Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2007.[5]
Aguard, Blanks was selected by theDetroit Pistons in the first round of the1990 NBA draft with the 26th overall pick.[8] He had an undistinguished career as a player,[9] playing 142 games in three NBA seasons with the Pistons andMinnesota Timberwolves. Afterwards, he played one season in theContinental Basketball Association and another three seasons in Europe,[8][9][3] leading teams inHungary andCyprus to league titles.[3]
Blanks joined theSan Antonio Spurs in 2000 as a scout and was elevated to director of scouting in September 2002.[3] He served as the Spurs' television analyst during the2004–05 season.[3][10]
Blanks worked five seasons as assistant general manager of theCleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2010.[3] From 2010 to 2013, Blanks served as the general manager of thePhoenix Suns.[9][11]
From 2020 until his death in 2023, Blanks served as a television analyst for the Texas Longhorns onLonghorn Network.[12]
Blanks's daughter, Riley, was a four-star recruit for theUniversity of Virginia tennis team.[13] His cousinLarvell Blanks was aninfielder inMajor League Baseball.[3]
In 2019, Blanks hosted a symposium on concussive injuries,chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), at the University of Texas's Center for Sports Communication & Media.[14] His father hadParkinson's disease after playing professional football for years.[15] Participants at the symposium discussed the effect of football on the human brain and the symbolic importance of the sport in American life.[14] Blanks also worked withBasketball Without Borders.[2]
Blanks died by suicide inDallas, Texas, on May 3, 2023, at age 56.[1][8][16]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[17]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Detroit | 38 | 0 | 5.6 | .426 | .125 | .714 | .5 | .7 | .2 | .1 | 1.7 |
| 1991–92 | Detroit | 43 | 0 | 4.4 | .455 | .375 | .727 | .5 | .4 | .3 | .0 | 1.5 |
| 1992–93 | Minnesota | 61 | 2 | 10.5 | .433 | .256 | .625 | 1.1 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | 2.6 |
| Career | 142 | 2 | 7.6 | .436 | .253 | .667 | .8 | .8 | .3 | .1 | 2.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Detroit | 1 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | – | – | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | .0 | 2.0 |
and Basketball Reference