Lance Blanks

Lance Blanks was an American professional basketball player who later worked as a team executive and television analyst. Born in Del Rio, Texas, in September 1966, he starred at McCullough High School, was named Texas Mr. Basketball in 1985, and played college basketball at the University of Virginia and then the University of Texas at Austin, where his 1,322 points are the most by any two-year player and his name was added to the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2007. A guard, he was selected twenty-sixth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1990 NBA draft and played 142 NBA games across three seasons for Detroit and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He then played in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe, helping teams in Hungary and Cyprus to league titles. He later worked as a scout and director of scouting for the San Antonio Spurs, assistant general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2010 to 2013. He died in May 2023.