WATCH: Colbert Absolutely Shreds John Stockton with Fake News Stories of Vaxxed Pro Athletes Dropping Dead on the Field

Former NBA star John Stockton has been widely roasted for his wildly bogus claim that professional athletes are dropping dead on the field and Wednesday night, Stephen Colbert joined in.

As is typical for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the cold open began with a real news clip — this one featuring Stockton’s bizarre claim about Covid-19 vaccines. The show then transitioned to a mock episode of SportsCenter, reporting on pro athletes dropping dead on the golf course, tennis court and baseball field.

“Novak Djokovic was on fire! Serving a record 113 straight aces to a dead Rafael Nadal,” the show joked, highlighting Djokovic’s controversial opposition to the vaccine. “And, finally, the MLB, where the Red Sox took on the Yankees. Both teams died during the second inning, but because it’s baseball, nobody noticed.”

Nearly 95 percent of the NFL is vaccinated, 97 percent of NBA players reportedly received the jab, and the NHL boasts a vaccine rate of 99 percent. Not one athlete has dropped dead because of the vaccine on the field, court, or ice in all of professional American sports.

While The Late Show was clearly mocking the idea that professional athletes are dying from getting vaccinated, Stockton’s absurd quote to Spokane’s Spokesman-Review unfortunately was not satire.

“I think it’s highly recorded now, there’s 150 I believe now, it’s over 100 professional athletes dead – professional athletes – the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court,” Stockton said in the interview.

I think it’s safe to say Stockton is not an avid Colbert watcher. Which is good, because if the NBA Hall-of-Famer was sitting on his couch for the cold open, he might say, “see, I told you so.”

Watch above via CBS