Public service announcement: Denzel Valentine is not Denzel Washington

Maybe some day Denzel Valentine will be famous enough that people won’t call him Denzel Washington.

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Maybe some day Denzel Valentine will be famous enough that people won’t call him Denzel Washington, but today is not that day. 

The Associated Press named Valentine its College Player of the Year on Thursday. Or was it Denzel Washington?

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The AP apologized for the flub, while poking a little fun at itself. 

Sorry Denzel Washington. We do love you, but Denzel Valentine is actually AP Player of Year https://t.co/9lsVtHDL1b pic.twitter.com/bvucSh5G5D

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) March 31, 2016

And the AP isn’t alone in this regard. Bleacher Report made the same mistake at least twice this month and people on Twitter do it all the time. 

Amazing. Denzel Washington at the age of 61 can still ball out according to @BleacherReport pic.twitter.com/Y5x32j7Qmn

— Shizz (@shizzytweets) March 29, 2016

Denzel Washington... Great actor and apparently has secretly been playing MSU basketball too... pic.twitter.com/F9AEapE9mf

— Michigan Sports Guy (@MIsportsguy) March 6, 2016

Proud to say that today, I finally called Denzel Valentine "Denzel Washington" for the 500th time. Took a lot of work, but happy I got here.

— Robert Mays (@robertmays) March 31, 2016

That's what MSU get for Denzel Washington guaranteeing winning the whole thing

— Fantasma (@guaranteed_O) March 18, 2016

. @B1GMBBall players among NCAA scoring leaders:
37. Denzel Washington, MSU, 19.6
54. Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa, 18.8
63. Malcolm Hill, Ill, 18.6

— Mike Pearson (@Spartifactsmsu) February 25, 2016

• @B1GMBBall ASSISTS LEADERS (Conference games only):
1. 7.5 Denzel Washington, MSU
2. 6.4 Bryant McIntosh, NU
3. 5.3 Mike Gesell, Iowa

— Mike Pearson (@Spartifactsmsu) February 27, 2016

Denzel Washington is the best pg in college go Michigan!

— 🪱 (@rezangel1) March 5, 2016

So Michigan State's Denzel Washington? He can play a little hoops.

— Gerald V. Ensley Jr. (@geraldensley) March 12, 2016

Alright, let’s just settle this once and for all. 

This is 22-year-old Denzel Valentine.

Jeff Roberson/AP

This is Denzel Washington on the set of the 1998 movie He Got Game, when Valentine was five years old.

Names are hard. We know. 

- Dan Gartland