The NBA's Atlanta Hawks Play Super Competitive Uno on Road Trips

Life in the NBA: super competitive atmosphere with a lot of games and loads of time spent on the road. And what's a bunch of ultra competitive guys to do to pass the time while traveling from game to game? Well, if you're a member of the Atlanta Hawks, you play cut-throat Uno.

Scott Cacciola revealed in a New York Times article that the Hawks players go nuts over the card game. It's not just your standard Uno, though, it's their version. Rookie guard Lamar Patterson can explain.

"I'm sitting down with these guys for the first time, and I play all the time," Patterson said, via The New York Times. "But they were all like, 'No, see, we play this way, with the Draw 2s and the Draw 4s from the extra decks. We lay the heat.' And I was like, 'Wow.'"

The game started out casually last year when Jeff Teague brought a deck of Uno cards on a trip. He recruited a few guys--Kent Bazemore, Al Horford, Kyle Korver, and Dennis Schroder--and gradually the game picked up steam. Then a couple players suggested doing things like adding cards from other decks to really get the game going. Since then it's basically been the NBA Playoffs.

There are no nights off, either. If you're on the road, you're playing Uno. It's as simple as that. The weak minded will be kicked to the curb. Or their cozy seat on the team's private plane.

"He said he was tired and wanted to rest," said Schroder, in regards to Tim Hardaway Jr., who was part of the group at first, but wanted to take a break. For one flight, at least. "So we had to kick him out."

Hardaway hasn't been invited back.

Last year, Horford was the group's most successful player. In fact, he was so dominant that the group had to develop a system because of it. It's first to 10 wins. Once someone reaches the number, a champion is crowned and the totals are reset.

As it stands, the guys play for pride. But that will soon change. Bazemore has been tasked with purchasing a championship belt online. Needless to say, the guys are excited.

"I can't wait," said Patterson. "I'm going to be walking around with it everywhere I go."