For 23 years, LeVar Burton attempted to teach the joys of reading to millions of youngsters on the PBS series “Reading Rainbow.”

If only Trump supporters had paid heed to that message.

It seems that a lot of Trumpers are confusing Burton with basketball dad LaVar Ball, or just assuming all LaVars are alike.

Ball, the father of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, trolled Trump on CNN Monday by refusing to thank the president for getting his younger son LiAngelo and two of his UCLA basketball teammates out of China after they were charged with shoplifting.

From Ball’s interview:

“I don’t have to go around saying ‘thank you’ to everybody. He didn’t call me. I didn’t shake his hand. He didn’t have to say nothing, but I’m just saying. I have to know what somebody is doing before I say ‘thank you.’ I’m not just going to go around saying thank you.”

Many people, especially Trump supporters, didn’t appreciate Ball’s comments and immediately went to Twitter to send rude comments to him.

Instead, many of those comments went to LeVar Burton instead:

@levarburton You're a has been actor with a thief for a son and Trump is the president of the United States. Get the picture? — markconte (@proseman) November 21, 2017

@levarburton you sure don’t do much for the black cause with your unlawful ungrateful parenting skills. — Steven Epps (@Steven_L_Epps) November 20, 2017

Burton attempted to handle the obvious mistake with good humor and gritted teeth in a tweet to Ball.

One of many sleights I am having to endure these days. Thanks! @Lavarbigballer... #bydhttmwfi https://t.co/uYkoDOV6yZ — LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 21, 2017

But Burton also had to deal with razzing from his fellow cast members from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

If you cared about our President, you’d change your name. — Brent Spiner (@BrentSpiner) November 21, 2017

A few of Burton’s fans tried to subtly explain there may have been a slight misunderstanding.

You got the wrong person dummy. @levarburton is the reading rainbow and star trek guy, @Levarball is the basketball guy who you trumpers are pissed at. And your profile says educated. HA! — Chris Emmel (@Darth_Emmel81) November 21, 2017

How do we even begin to break down all the ways @proseman has failed in this post? Do we go with the blatant racism and blind hatred fueling the post, or the fact he’s a Trumpist, or shall we just focus on the fact he can’t even tell one black guy apart from another? — me (@Hawks12Fanatic) November 21, 2017

After that last post, the Trumpers couldn’t LeVar well enough alone.

Washed up actor - Check



Son caught stealing in China - Check



Trump still president - Check



But none of that is true huh?... lol — Lil Popsicle (@Lil_Popsicle) November 21, 2017

Wow. Wrong two out of three. But I guess all black guys with the same first name are the same person to guys like you: racist and stupid. — Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) November 21, 2017

HuffPost reached out to LaVar Ball and will update this post if he responds.