Nuggets' Michael Porter Jr. Makes Unfounded Claims About COVID-19

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. made some unfounded claims about the COVID-19 pandemic on his Snapchat on Tuesday, saying it's being used for a "bigger agenda" and "population control."

"Personally, I think the coronavirus is being used obviously for a bigger agenda," Porter Jr. said, per Clevis Murray of The Athletic.

"It's being used for population control in terms of being able to control the masses of people. The whole world is being controlled."

Porter did not provide any evidence for his claims.

He also said he has never been vaccinated in his life or "had any shots or anything like that."

As Murray noted, Porter attended the University of Missouri, which requires students born after 1956 to "comply with the two-dose MMR Immunization Policy."

Porter also added that he believes COVID-19 is "a serious thing" but that it's "being overblown."

At least 16.3 million people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday evening, per the World Health Organization. Over 650,000 people have died.

In the United States, over 4.2 million people have tested positive, with over 146,000 people dying because of COVID-19. A total of 63,968 people tested positive on Monday alone, per WHO.

Porter, the Nuggets and 21 other NBA teams are sequestered on the league's campus in Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, to participate in the 2019-20 season's restart, which will officially begin Thursday after a four-and-a-half-month suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.