UNO lays down law on controversial rule after NBA star’s family battle

An NBA star has inadvertently sparked a UNO storm after a family feud prompted an official verdict on a disputed house rule.

UNO has been driving families apart for almost 50 years.

The Twitter account behind the card game UNO has weighed in on NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell’s tabletop traditions to deliver a smackdown of a popular but unofficial rule.

The Utah Jazz hoopster got into a “heated debate” with his family over the game — and reached out for an assist.

“Do you have to say uno out when you lay your last card in @realUNOgame???” Mitchell tweeted this week. “Heated debate rn with the fam.”

The post included an online poll, with nearly 57,000 Twitter users responding — and almost 62 per cent saying the answer is “yes.”

But Mitchell got an official response from the makers of the 49-year-old game.

Donovan Mitchell couldn’t believe it.

“While calling ‘UNO Out’ when you play your last card is a popular House Rule, it’s not required,” the company tweeted Tuesday.

“UNO has spoken.”

Mitchell wasn’t sold — and made it clear which side of the debate he was on in another tweet Wednesday.

“I know it’s your game and all but this is the incorrect answer,” he wrote.

The game, now manufactured by Mattel, for two or more players and involves matching numbers, colours, and designs on cards. The player who runs out of cards first declared the winner.

It typically calls for a player to say just “UNO” when they’re down to their last card.

It’s certainly a strange way for Mitchell to be celebrating his huge week where he put pen to paper on a monster $267 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz.

The deal includes a guarantee of $US163 million, but performance bonuses would see him join De’Aaron Fox with the biggest deals of the free agency frenzy so far.