Chris Paul and James Jones are two examples of how the same name can belong to athletes across different sports. On Monday, the internet once again found out how confusing that can get when Matt Ryan weighed in on Enes Kanter Freedom’s ongoing WNBA controversy. His comments quickly caught attention, but not everyone immediately realized whether the former NBA star or the former NFL icon made that statement.

For many sports fans, the name Matt Ryan still belongs to the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback. As his NBA namesake entered the conversation, social media users began wondering whether the NFL legend had somehow joined the WNBA debate. But it was the former NBA player Matt Ryan who supported Kanter’s stance.

“Getting demonized for trying to PROTECT women’s sports and calling out the absurdity that the WNBA cannot define what the W is… just unreal and sad. Hopefully you’ll (WNBA) force them to come to their senses, be REAL leaders, and protect the future young women.”

The ex-Los Angeles Lakers forward commented on Instagram, which was later shared on X by the popular account, NBA Central. It garnered over 2.4 million views, and that’s when the confusion started.

The post even received a community note. “Important Context: This is professional basketball player Matt Ryan (@matt_ryan32), who currently plays for team Maxima Roma in Italy. This is NOT former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan (@ryan_matt02).”

The confusion did not end with the community note. Ryan later doubled down on his position on X, making it even clearer that the person behind the comments was the former NBA player rather than the Falcons quarterback. By then, however, the name mix-up had already become part of the story. Once NBA Central’s repost began circulating, the focus shifted toward identifying which Matt Ryan was behind the message. For NFL fans who knew Matt Ryan primarily as Atlanta’s longtime quarterback, seeing his name attached to a WNBA controversy created an entirely different conversation before the clarification arrived.

Fans flood social media over Matt Ryan’s confusion

Many people reading his name assumed the post was about the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

“This not Matt Ryan the quarterback?”

The confusion was understandable. He is not the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who spent 14 seasons with Atlanta. That distinction, however, was apparently easy to miss when his name began circulating.

“U gotta put Matt Ryan (Random a– G League player) cause everybody is thinking of the same Matt Ryan 😂”

The reaction captured exactly why the mix-up happened. While the NBA’s Matt Ryan is a familiar name to basketball fans, his NFL namesake is far more recognizable to the broader sports audience. The former Falcons star spent his entire prime as one of the league’s most prominent quarterbacks and remains closely associated with Atlanta.

“Falcons fans opening app to see they have to defend Matt Ryan bc someone shares his name, as if their lives aren’t difficult enough already lmao.” Another fan shared a similar sentiment, “As a Falcons fan I nearly had a heart attack”

The joke quickly shifted toward Falcons fans, who were suddenly seeing their former quarterback’s name attached to a controversy he had nothing to do with.

“Atlanta Falcons HOF Matt Ryan logging on to social media today”

The post was accompanied by a GIF of rapper 50 Cent looking bewildered and pointing at himself, referencing his famous “What he say f— me for?” reaction. The joke was that the former Falcons quarterback would be wondering why his name was suddenly involved in a WNBA controversy despite having nothing to do with it.

In the end, the controversy created a second story of its own: not just what Matt Ryan said about the WNBA, but which Matt Ryan had said it. The quarterback’s name recognition made the confusion almost inevitable, especially for NFL fans who saw the headline before the full context.