Alex Wolff, who wrote for Sports Illustrated for 36 years and whose book “100 Years of Hoops” is in the foreground, delivers a speech as the keynote speaker at Gus Macker’s 50th anniversary celebration held at Adams Acres in Otisco Township on Thursday evening. — DN Photo | Cory Smith

OTISCO TOWNSHIP — More than 40 years ago, Gus Macker began establishing himself as a summer fixture in Lowell in the form of a growing 3-on-3 basketball tournament that continued to grow with each passing year.

Geoff “Stormy” Stormzand, a middle school student at the time, came across a Sports Illustrated article highlighting the success of 3-on-3 tournaments held in Southern California with “20 to 30” teams. He couldn’t believe there was no mention of Gus Macker.

“Stormy, a middle schooler who played with us in the driveway, was very upset that Gus Macker basketball wasn’t mentioned (in the story) because we had over 100 teams at the time,” Gus Macker founder Scott McNeal recalled at the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration Thursday evening.

Stormzand responded by writing a letter to SI, hoping that this would prompt a reporter to shed light on the Macker affair.

“We, the older neighborhood friends, kept making fun of Stormy,” McNeal continued. “A handwritten letter to Sports Illustrated? It’s not going anywhere.”

But after receiving this letter from Stormzand, SI writer Alex Wolff was inspired and decided to take a trip to West Michigan.

And so, in the summer of 1984, Wolff discovered for himself the passion expressed in Stormzand’s letter by attending the annual Gus Macker tournament. A year later, Wolff’s 4,000-word piece in SI was published in the summer of 1985, just in time for the 12th annual Gus Macker Tournament.

“When we walked out the front door of my mom’s house — CNN, the wide world of sports (ESPN), ABC World News — everybody was there,” McNeal said. “Thousands and thousands of people, because (the story) came out the week of our event. It really turned us into a national phenomenon.”

As a result, McNeal couldn’t think of anyone better than Wolff to be the keynote speaker for Thursday’s celebratory event.

“We have a writer here today who loves playing in the Gus Macker tournament,” he said.

Speaking to a packed crowd gathered under a tent in Adams Acres, west of Belding, Wolff described the piece, written 39 years ago, as one of his favorites in his long career.

“This has been my favorite story in the 36 years I’ve written for SI,” he said. “I can’t fully express how exciting, honored and privileged it is to be invited here tonight to celebrate 50 years of Gus Macker basketball. The only thing better than talking about Macker’s half-century was writing about ‘The Only Game in Town’ for 17 million readers in 1985.”

In the time since Wolff’s article was published, the sport of 3-on-3 basketball has become a cultural phenomenon, and Wolff believes Gus Macker played a big role in that.

“What kind of world do we live in?” he asked, “where something that a bunch of young guys fantasized about on a driveway outside Grand Rapids can become an Olympic sport?” “I think the answer is an interconnected world where we have a lot more in common than we think, and where a valuable idea can fly and travel to its rightful place.”

As Wolff looked out at the audience seated in front of him, filled with Macker greats from years past, he said all credit goes to those under the tent.

“Make sure all the original Mackers take a bow,” he said. “You helped make this the most popular recreational version of basketball with the perfect feng shui of the ‘three.’ Basketball is a game of little threes — guard, forward, center, ball, you, buddy, pass, dribble, shoot — right in your face.”

Wolff said that 3-on-3 basketball has been adopted worldwide and that the person who can best observe this is Gus Macker.

“The three-point shot and the triangle offense are all adapted to the area where the game is supposed to be played, outdoors, with a guy on the microphone and anything else that moves your body, with music,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or where you’re going, with a ball in the air and your tongue in your cheek and maybe a ‘Gus Buster’ or two to help keep the peace, you can rule the world with more than one rule – don’t bring any weaklings.”

Wolff thanked and commended McNeal, the original “Gus Macker,” and all of his efforts over the past 50 years.

Although McNeal got his nickname from his friend Rick Thomson in his youth, there was always a sense of mystery around him, but to Wolff, that’s what turned McNeal into a legend.

“Gus?” Wolff asked. “Who was he? Was he a black man? They said he liked barbecue. Was he a white man? They said he liked Yoplait yogurt. Was he short? Was he tall? Could he play? The thing is, nobody knew for sure, and that’s all that mattered. Bigotry, prejudice, these ugly things come from people who think they know for sure.”

Wolff said McNeal and the Gus Macker team and volunteers built the Gus Macker program into an empire that continues to exist today.

“Seventy-eight tournaments in a calendar year? You were playing with time and space,” he said. “You were trying to cheat the seasons and extend the summer.”

Perhaps most importantly, Wolff noted, what Gus Macker did best was bring out the best in people through the sport of basketball.

“To all the people who have made their profession their passion, who have made the game their business,” he said, “how lucky are we who have made it? And to all the people who have found joy, purpose and friendship through basketball. This tent is full of lucky, very lucky people – none of them have ever brought anything weak.”

Finally, McNeal presented Wolff with a ceremonial plaque and photograph, thanking him for his help in putting Gus Macker on the map.

“Alex, thank you for expanding my dream,” he said.