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On Tuesday, Reed revealed his cause of death in an emotionaltribute written for ESPNafter news of his death was announced last Wednesday. He was 56 years old.
“On the morning of May 3, 2023, my father, Lance Blanks, took his life,” wrote Reed at the start of the essay.
“People will want more information,” she later continued. “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.”
Throughout the heartfelt column, Reed reflected on her father’s professional legacy, which included a career as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and the Longhorn Network, a spot on the Texas Longhorns basketball team from 1988 to 1990, and an induction into the school’s Hall of Honor in 2007, reports theNew York Post.
“The year I was born marked the beginning of Daddy’s NBA career, intertwining our lives with the league,” wrote Reed. “Daddy put his all into everything he did. I recall the countless hours spent together at basketball games while he scouted. From small, grungy gyms in the South to unlined courts in West Africa, to the state-of-the-art facilities, he’d watch with his intense gaze and calculated thoughts.”
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While Reed remembers her father as “tireless, relentless, willful, passionate, gregarious, intense and incredibly empathetic,” she writes that his career also gives insight into his character.
“Daddy had impact,” expressed Reed. “He had what he would call ‘staying power.’ He was lovingly referred to as the duck: relaxed, calm, and effortless on the surface, pedaling like mad beneath the water.”
Reed also praised her father for being her “athletic mentor from childhood to college,” revealing that she developed a passion for tennis after he introduced her to the sport at age 5.
“I remember a foggy day, a racket as long as my torso, and a dad with a crystal-clear vision for my future,” she wrote. “He drove me to ITF tournaments. He walked me through UVA’s grounds before I committed and played for their team. He was my athletic mentor from childhood to college. He gave me a sport that would define my character, bolster my intuition and elevate my maturity.”
TheNBAreleased a statement confirming the news, and the Phoenix Suns alsoshared an official statement on Twitter.
source: people.com
