Former NBA executive Lance Blanks dead at 56

Former Phoenix Suns general manager Lance Blanks has died at the age of 56.

Blanks gained prominence in the basketball world as a member of the University of Texas basketball program from 1988 to 1990, helping the Longhorns reach the Elite Eight his final year there.

"Lance was a light for all those who knew him," NBA exec and former Detroit Piston Joe Dumars said in a statement. "It’s been a privilege to have called him one of my closest friends. 

"I’m eternally grateful for all the supp...