Former NBA player Lance Blanks took his own life on May 3, 2023. After his death, his daughter, Riley Blanks Reed is speaking out, penning an article about her experience in ESPN.

“People will ask, ‘How did we not see it?’ And people will say, ‘This wasn’t him. Someone like him wouldn’t do this.’ People will want more information. 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,” she wrote in an article titled, “Remembering the man, my father Lance Blanks.”

She also called her dad a “leader.” “Not just the humble, legendary Texas Longhorns shooting guard, the scoring machine with the most epic defense skills and court dance moves of his time. Not just the Pistons’ 26th pick in the 1990 NBA draft or the passionate player who competed in Germany, Cyprus and Hungary. Not just the NBA executive who worked for the Spurs, Cavaliers, Suns and Clippers, treating every day like it was a Wednesday, burning the midnight oil, lifting weight people couldn’t see. Not just the head of scouting who knew players like the backs of his big, strong hands. Not just an ESPN and Longhorn Network basketball analyst who brought light, storytelling and accessibility to every game. Not just the relentless patriarch of his family, the adoring father of his daughters and the devoted father of his community,” she wrote.

She added: “Daddy was my person, my idol, my teacher, my best friend and my confidant — a man I thought immortal. He encompassed everything to me.”

Who is Riley Blanks Reed?

Riley Blanks Reed is a photographer, writer, and founder of Woke Beauty. She is the eldest daughter of Lance Blanks.

Back in 2018, Reed interviewed her father in an NPR, Story Corps booth. At the time, she wrote on Instagram: “I have always been enamored by my dad’s ability to look after his own…selflessly. Never tired. Never jaded. Never asking for anything in return. He’s sacrificed over and over again in the name of family. His love is unwavering. I’ve watched closely, tear stricken, as he’s carried his dad on his back from cars to restaurants, bathrooms to beds, sand to ocean. I’ve seen my dad tell stories when my grandpa felt scared, feed him his favorite pie, massage his shoulders till he fell asleep. I’ve heard him fight for him, stand for him, cry for him.”

She added: “My dad is the guardian of his dad; an NFL running back, a Lone Star Conference Hall of Famer, a Texas Black Sports Hall of Famer, a football legend; a guy who taught his son to block a jumper who taught his daughter to ace a serve; a big, strong, stubborn teddy bear; a man who has lived with Parkinson’s since my dad was just a kid. My dad’s level of care isn’t normal. I’ve felt it. It could move the whole world. In our interview, I asked him how he does it. His answer was honest, straightforward, humble. Just like him. He said, ‘It’s my duty, as a person. It’s all I know.'”

She also revealed in her ESPN article that Lance lived next door to her and her husband, Jack Reed.