GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – An iconic basketball team mixed fun with a serious message as they spoke at a Green Bay elementary school on Wednesday.
The Harlem Globetrotters have been embarrassing the Washington Generals for decades, but they told Fort Howard Elementary School students that bullying is no joke.
Orlando El Gato Melendez is a 7-year Globetrotter veteran that still has trouble believing he’s wearing the red, white, and blue.
“Funny part is I never thought I was going to be a Globetrotter,” he explains. “The first time that I saw them was on Scooby-Doo, so I was like, ‘Oh wow,’ when I found out they were real and I had a chance to become a Globetrotter.”
Prior to being with the Globetrotters, Melendez was recruited to play for the University of North Carolina Tarheels by legendary coach Dean Smith. He spent time playing alongside future NBA players like Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison before graduating from the program in 2001.
He would spend time playing professionally in Europe and for the Puerto Rico National Team before eventually landing with the Globetrotters, where he says he enjoys the time he’s able to spend traveling and interacting with kids all over the world.
In situations like Wednesday, he says kids definitely enjoy the games and tricks, but do a great job listening to their message.
“The kids are in-between super excited about the tricks and the Harlem Globetrotter part, but at the same time they pay a lot of attention and they see the serious thing about our message,” explains Melendez.
He says a major concern with bullying is that often times a domino effect takes place after the initial incident.
“Once one person gets bullied, another person starts getting bullied, and another person starts getting bullied,” he explains. “We’re trying to stop that from the get-go and just try to make everybody happy.”
Melendez says a key to their message is to remind students not to be afraid to speak up in bullying situations.
“It’s to encourage kids to talk,” he says. “Everybody is scared that if you say something bullying is going to continue and it’s going to get to you.”
He also taught students the ABC’s of bullying prevention, which are action, bravery, and compassion.
The Globetrotters coordinate their anti-bullying efforts with the National Campaign to Stop Violence (NCSV).
The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Resch Center on December 26, 2018.
