Orlando 'El Gato' Melendez enjoys entertaining fans with Harlem Globetrotters Posted Mar 21, 2018 Orlando Melendez became the first native of Puerto Rico to sign with the Harlem Globetrotters. A former University of North Carolina player who was part of Final Four teams in 1998 and 2000, Melendez signed with the Globetrotters in 2008. As a child, he first thought the Globetrotters were merely cartoon characters that appeared on a Scooby-Doo episode. (Dothan Eagle)