De'Aaron Fox's goal was 'to shut Lavar Ball up' in UCLA showdown

De'Aaron Fox roasting UCLA for 39 points in Kentucky's Sweet 16 win in March was one of the signature performances of the NCAA tournament, and the projected lottery pick revealed Thursday he had some extra motivation for the game.

The hype entering the contest surrounded Bruins star point guard Lonzo Ball, but Fox continuously attacked his counterpart each time down the court, outscoring him by 29 points. It wasn't the matchup with Ball that gave the game added meaning for Fox, it was his boisterous father, Lavar.

"(I wanted) to shut Lavar Ball up," Fox told Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated. "When I knew Lonzo in high school, I'd never seen his dad before. He went crazy this year. I guess when your son a lottery pick, that gives you a lot of confidence."

Fox, who insisted to Sharp that he and Lonzo are friends, thinks numerous outlandish comments from Lavar have put a target on his son's back heading into his rookie season in the NBA.

Claiming Lonzo is already the best player in the world, even better than LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, is just one of Lavar's bold statements regarding his son's talent.

Fox certainly got the better of Lonzo in the tournament game in March, and it will be known soon enough if that performance is enough to see the Kentucky star taken ahead of Ball in the upcoming NBA draft.