1:58 PM PT -- Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says the team talked to MPJ about his comments ... but made it clear he's "not the thought police."
"I'm not going to tell any of our players what they can and can't say," Malone said. "All I would say is just be sensitive to the current situation in our country and throughout the world in regards to coronavirus."
Malone says MPJ met with Tim Connelly, Denver's president of basketball ops, about his comments ... but denies it became a distraction with the team.
"If somebody has a strong belief on something, they have the platform and freedom to use that," Malone added. "We will just try to educate guys so that they understand the impact of what they may be saying."
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. believes COVID was secretly created for global "population control" ... and warns things are about to get much, much worse.
It was all part of a bizarre Snapchat Q&A session on Tuesday -- when the 2018 1st-round NBA Draft pick decided to go full conspiracy theorist when asked about the pandemic.
"Personally, I think that the coronavirus is being used obviously for a bigger agenda," 22-year-old Porter said from his room in the NBA Bubble in Orlando.
"It’s being used for population control in just terms of being able to control the masses of people."
More than 661,000 people have reportedly died from COVID around the world since the pandemic began -- with more than 16.7 MILLION cases.
Porter thinks it's all part of some diabolical plot for global control.
"Because of this virus, the whole world is being controlled. You’re required to wear masks, and who knows what’ll happen when this vaccine comes out. You might have to have the vaccine in order to travel. That’d be crazy."
And yeah, that's when Porter pivoted into some anti-vaxxer talk ...
"I've never been vaccinated in my life. I've never had any shots or anything like that. So, it could get crazy."
FYI, it seems impossible for Porter not to have been vaccinated at some point in his life since basketball players at Missouri (where he played college ball) were required to comply with the 2-dose MMR Immunization Policy -- which essentially requires proof of vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella.
Still, Porter continued his rant ...
"It's definitely an agenda behind everything that's going on right now and all you can do is sit back and watch what's going on."
"Don't get too emotionally involved," Porter warned ... "but yeah, I mean it is a serious thing -- it's a real thing but yes it's being overblown."
Sidenote -- please be safe out there.