The Gus Macker may not have been born in Buffalo, but Western New Yorkers have certainly adopted it as their own.

The annual three-on-three basketball tournament returns to Niagara Square this weekend as the country’s largest Macker, a title it took over last year. It’s about the basketball, sure, but like the Allentown Art Festival or Taste of Buffalo, the weekend has become as much a celebration of summer as a gathering place for hoops junkies. And there will be plenty of them.

More than 960 registered teams made up of about 3,800 players will line Delaware Avenue and the surrounding streets Saturday and Sunday.

“It really is a Buffalo tradition,” said Sue Gonzalez, executive director of the Police Athletic League of Buffalo. “We’re a football town. We’re a hockey town. But undoubtedly this weekend, we’re a basketball town.”

An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 spectators and participants flood downtown during the tournament.

“It’s great to see that many people in Buffalo,” Gonzalez said. “We have people calling from outside the area, seeing if they can get a hotel room and a team together. That speaks well of the tournament.”

Macker organizers tout city officials’ unwavering support in making the event a success. “There’s a certified official on every court. Everybody knows the rules —it’s a lot more sophisticated than some other tournaments,” said Bill Gorman, a Buffalo resident who now serves as a Macker tournament supervisor at events held throughout the country.

Gorman, a former champion in the top men’s division, said the talent level at the Buffalo tournament rivals that found at any of the 42 Macker sites.

“Especially in top men’s, the talent level is pretty high and the competition is fierce,” Gorman said.

With more than 30 teams registered in the top men’s bracket, Macker officials plan to split them into two divisions and crown two champions.

That’s been a source of controversy in the past couple of years, as players and fans alike have clamored for a single victor. Last year, the two top men’s winners waited through nearly 75 minutes of uncertainty before getting the go-ahead to play for an “unofficial” championship.

The Darling Paints team of Nick Parisi, Charlie Comerford, Damone Brown and Jason Rowe defeated Family Ties for bragging rights.

“[Having the two division champions play each other] wasn’t the plan last year,” Gonzalez said. “We don’t intend it to be this year, either. We plan to have a top men’s champion crowned on courts one and two. There are a lot of great players out there.”

This year’s Macker will be the 19th held in Buffalo. For the fifth straight year, it will benefit the PAL and Kids Escaping Drugs. It’s believed to be the first, however, to receive major financial support from two of the city’s professional athletes. Buffalo Bills Marshawn Lynch and Terrence McGee are helping to sponsor the event.

McGee and Lynch will also donate their time, signing autographs from noon to 1 p. m. Saturday at the New Era Building on Delaware Avenue. Beginning at 9 a. m., fans can purchase wrist bands at the Bills tent in Niagara Square for $5 each (per autograph). The band allows them to have an item signed by Mc- Gee and Lynch.

“We’re thrilled to have their participation,” Gonzalez said. “It was something they didn’t have to do, and their support means a lot.”

Teams can check in from 3:15 to 8 p. m. Friday at New Era. Opening ceremonies take place at 8 a. m. Saturday, followed by the start of play, which continues through Sunday afternoon.