Former Suns GM Lance Blanks Died by Suicide, According to Daughter Riley

Former Phoenix Suns general manager Lance Blanks died by suicide at the age of 56 on May 3, his daughter Riley Blanks Reed announced.

"People will want more information," Reed wrote in an emotional, reflective piece for ESPN. "But the fact is we will never truly know why. And we don't need to. All we need to do is remember him, honor him, celebrate him and pour our love into the family that made him happy."

Reed shared stories of good times with her father and offered details about the person he was outside of basketball. She called him "my person, my idol, my teacher, my best friend and my confidant--a man I thought immortal," and added, "He encompassed everything to me."

Long before becoming an NBA executive, Blanks starred as a shooting guard for the Texas Longhorns for two seasons after transferring from the University of Virginia. He led the Longhorns to an Elite Eight appearance in 1990 and scored 1,322 career points, the highest total by a two-year player in Texas program history. He was inducted into the university's Hall of Honor in 2007.

Blanks was drafted 26th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 1990, though he didn't find success in the NBA. He also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and spent some time playing in Europe before retiring in 1999.

Blanks immediately transitioned to a post-playing career, becoming a scout for the San Antonio Spurs in 2000 and being promoted to director of scouting in 2002. He later became assistant general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, spending five years in the position before being hired as Suns general manager in 2010. Phoenix didn't make the playoffs in the years with him at the helm, and the two sides parted ways in 2013.

Since 2020, Blanks had served as a television analyst for Longhorn Network.

Reed closed her piece by writing, "Daddy, Lance, LB, my forever hero, has left a void that cannot be filled. And yet, I find solace in the promise to honor him with everything he left us. In the loving embrace of my sister, Bryn, I will remember that we are both forever connected to the remarkable man who was our world."

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If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. In Canada, call Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645 from 4 p.m.-midnight ET.