LeVar vs LaVar: Trump Fans Confusing 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Star Burton with Businessman Ball

There's a galaxy of difference between actor LeVar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow fame and businessman LaVar Ball.

For those of you who might be thinking, "Yeah. And...?" here's the explanation. LaVar Ball, who heads up Big Baller Brand, has three sons who are all basketball players: #LosAngelesLakers guard Lonzo, UCLA freshman guard LiAngelo (more on him in a minute), and LaMelo, who at 16 has already demonstrated enough talent that he verbally committed to playing for UCLA at the ripe old age of 13. LaVar Ball has recently been the subject of a number of angry tweets from President Donald Trump because LiAngelo was reportedly recently freed from a Chinese prison, allegedly for shoplifting, and because Trump did not receive what he felt was any sort of a thank you. The Twitter war began and soon spilled over into the media.

Here's the deal, though. ESPN's Arash Markazi said very clearly that LiAngelo Ball and his UCLA teammates were not, in fact, jailed, as Trump said. According to ClutchPoints, the ballers were interrogated and free to leave the hotel they were staying at — no arrest ever occurred. LaVar Ball, who is reportedly not shy about expressing his opinion — much like the United States president — said during several interviews that in spite of Trump's self-aggrandizing tweets and comment that he should have left LiAngelo Ball in jail during his next visit to China, the president actually did very little to get LiAngelo Ball out of hot water.

"Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead," Trump tweeted on November 19.

The president also claimed that the players would have potentially faced 10 years if found guilty. According to a different ClutchPoints article, the penalty was nowhere near that high — perhaps two years — and could be "mitigated" if the accused showed remorse. LiAngelo Ball and the other involved players thanked the US government for their intervention and have since been suspended indefinitely by the Lakers.

LeVar Burton, on the other hand...

Best known as the original Kunta Kinte in the 1977 minseries Roots, and as Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, in addition to his work on Reading Rainbow, Burton is known largely for his body of performances. He is known also for his advocacy in helping promote reading among children, his work as a director and his role on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Research Alliance. While he is an active presence on Twitter, his tweets indicate that his interests lie in promoting good humor or unity and peace — far from the Twitter wars that LaVar Ball and Trump are finding themselves in.

Burton, however, has been on the receiving end of a number of troubling tweets from Trump supporters who apparently don't know the difference between the actor and the businessman. For his part, he has laughed the confusion off, though he apparently could not resist an image of LaVar Ball that was posted featuring the VISOR that LeVar Burton's character, Geordi LaForge, was known for wearing in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"Ha...! I’m crying... #bydhttmwfi 😭😭😭 #theyputhiminthevisor," Burton tweeted November 21 in a post that has since gotten over 5,000 retweets and 14,000 likes.

Twitter user, Christine McMullen, followed his post with a list of individuals who are also not LeVar Burton.

"For those who need it, here's a handy list of people who are not LeVar Burton: LaVar Ball, Richard Burton, Tim Burton, Burt Reynolds, Bert and Ernie, LeVert," she tweeted.

So to you confused Trump supporters — do yourself a favor. Make sure you have your LaVars and your LeVars straight before you continue to send hate mail through the platform of your choosing. You'll save yourself a whole lot of time and certainly, won't look as silly as you do right now.