Controversial S#!T

Trae Young's player rating for NBA 2K22 has officially been released ... and you know who's super pissed about it??

Trae Young.

The super-popular video game series rolled out a number of players' skill ratings for its newest installment in the yearly franchise on Wednesday ... and the Atlanta Hawks superstar was handed an 89 overall.

The 22-year-old guard was clearly not having it ... saying, "feel like we do this every year … y’all ever gonna get it right?! #CantPlayItYet"

For context, Trae's rating was in the 87-89 range through last season ... but the guy balled out in the playoffs, leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.

Young averaged 25 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds a game in 2020-21 ... and nearly 29 points and 9.5 assists in the playoffs.

A number of other ratings have been released -- including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo getting 96 overall ratings ... with Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, James Harden and Damian Lillard rounding out the top 10 players.

Azita Ghanizada says Afghan-Americans like herself knew Donald Trump's brokered peace deal with the Taliban would "end disastrously" ... but she adds, President Biden didn't do anything to stop it from happening either.

The Kabul-born actress -- known for roles in "Complete Unknown," "Ballers" and "Magnum P.I." -- was in downtown L.A. Tuesday when she talked to us about the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan ... telling us it's a horrible situation to witness.

Like many Americans, Azita's placing the blame for the country's collapse on politicians of the past 2 decades -- from both parties -- but specifically calls out Trump for negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban in early 2020.

However, she also calls Biden's decision to hastily withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan a "stain" on his presidency ... and clearly thinks it contributed to the current crisis.

Azita's also very concerned about what this means for women's rights in Afghanistan, as the Taliban's promise to protect them is dubious at best ... and has already been contradicted by reports of a woman being executed for not wearing a burqa.

She tells us the fear is real for women in Afghanistan, as the Taliban being in control likely means women will be set back at least 20 years in society.

Finally, Azita's calling on the world to help the refugees who are trying to flee Afghanistan ... pointing out they are in a desperate situation.

Taliban members allegedly gunned down a woman in the streets of Afghanistan ... just as Taliban officials swore they would not exact violence on women.

It happened in the province of Takhar -- 8 hours outside of Kabul -- where an unidentified female was photographed lying dead in a pool of blood ... reportedly at the hands of the insurgents.

The woman reportedly refused to wear a burqa ... required under sharia law, a version of Islam to which the Taliban subscribes that subjugates women.

The murder is evidence Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, was disingenuous to say the least. He vowed the newly-formed government would afford women more basic rights, even encouraging them to go back to school/work and to get involved in the government if they so desired -- so long as they abide by sharia law, that is.

There are other reports the Taliban fired shots at protesters all around the country. Although the Afghan military fled without a fight, some demonstrators were vocal in their displeasure over the turn of events in the country, and it cost some of them dearly.

There are also reports they beat journalists.

The scene in Kabul is chaotic and tragic ... thousands of Afghans who assisted Americans over the last 20 years are stuck -- unable to secure the proper papers to flee the country.  Many U.S. military and intelligence officials believe they will be executed once Americans are gone.

YK Osiris has something in common with Trippie Redd -- the singer will also avoid prosecution for an alleged assault case in Atlanta.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Fulton County D.A.'s Office says even though Atlanta PD had probable cause to arrest Osiris in November 2019 ... the D.A. has decided NOT to prosecute at this time.

We've reached out to prosecutors to find out why they're not moving forward. If this all sounds familiar it's because the Fulton County D.A.'s office also decided this week not to pursue Trippie Redd's case.

As we reported ... the "Worth It" singer was arrested after he allegedly beat up his GF at his birthday party in September 2019. At the time ... we were told he was busted in Atlanta on a felony charge of aggravated assault by strangulation.

According to the police report ... the singer's GF told cops he had choked her and bit her face.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is now among the thousands who've recently tested positive for the coronavirus in his state, and his breakthrough case comes on the heels of him being in very close contact with a lot of people.

Abbott says he's tested daily and Tuesday was his first positive test result. According to a statement from his office ... he's receiving Regeneron's antibody treatment even though he's not experiencing symptoms, and will isolate at the Governor's Mansion and test daily.

The good news is, he's also fully vaccinated and says he's in good health. The bad news is ... just last night he attended a standing-room-only event in Collin County where, as you can see, there were no masks in sight and no social distancing.

Gov. Abbott says everyone he's been in close contact with Tuesday has been notified, but does not clarify if that includes all the people at Monday night's event. His wife has tested negative so far, but he also recently tweeted about meeting musician Jimmie Vaughan ... brother of the late legend, Stevie Ray.

The Texas governor has been under fire as cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been on the rise lately -- especially in nursing homes and cases are up even among kids.

LaMelo Ball thinks going to college would've been a big waste of time ... saying, "school not even teachin' you s*** -- what the f*** is school?"

Of course, the 19-year-old Charlotte Hornets star took quite the unusual path to the NBA -- leaving Chino Hills H.S. in CA to play pro ball in Lithuania and Australia before declaring for the draft in 2020.

Melo has ZERO regrets over missing out on an NCAA career or the general college experience ... going in on the educational system in an interview with GQ.

"You wanna go to the league, so school's not your priority," the rookie of the year said.

"We not trippin' off school. We not dumb. We know how to learn. We don't need school. And school not even teachin' you s*** -- what the f*** is school?"

While that may not be the case for, say, a doctor or an astrophysicist, things have worked out quite well for Melo as a pro -- he quickly became a top player in the league, averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists.

Safe to say the dude's not gonna be going back to get his degree any time soon.

U.S. soccer legend Hope Solo says Megan Rapinoe was so passionate about getting their squad to kneel, she would "almost bully" her teammates into joining the demonstration.

The 40-year-old former goalie joined "All of US: The U.S. Women's Soccer Show" podcast when she was asked about former President Trump's criticism of the "Leftist Maniacs" on Team USA.

Solo -- a World Cup champ and 2x Olympic gold medalist -- admitted that kneeling for The Star Spangled Banner was a polarizing issue.

"I think the kneeling thing can be very divisive. I do appreciate the fact that there's no National Anthem right before the game. To really remove that decision from the athletes. Because that's very tough, it's tough," Solo says.

"I've seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way. But it's our right as Americans to do it in whatever way we're comfortable with."

In 2016, Rapinoe became the first women's soccer player to kneel ... in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

Of course, the women's team was on the receiving end of a verbal attack from Trump ... who blamed the teams lack of success (the bronze medal winning team were favorites to take home gold) on their "radical left politics."

"If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of Leftist Maniacs, wasn't woke, they would have won the Gold Medal instead instead of Bronze," DT wrote in a statement blasting the team.

"Woke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has."

Johnny Depp has addressed the elephant in the room -- which is that he's seen as a pariah in Hollywood now ... something that isn't lost on him, and which he seems to think is BS.

The embattled actor sat for an interview with the Sunday Times -- to promote his new movie, "Minamata" -- and he opened up about what he perceives as a de facto ousting from the biz, while also vowing to shed more light on the "truth" and thanking fans for sticking with him.

Johnny is quoted as saying that he feels like those who got on board late for his latest flick owe the real-life Japanese mercury poison survivors on which it's based fairness in its release -- the film's only being released in the UK, for now. A U.S. release date hasn't been set.

The distributors, MGM, have been accused of shelving it over JD's legal issues -- an alleged reaction to which Depp says ... "And for anything ... for Hollywood’s boycott of me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?"

On that topic, he goes on to say that he's "moving towards where I need to go to make all that … to bring things to light." Sounds like he's talking about his acrimonious case against Amber Heard here in the U.S. -- the one he still has a fighting chance to win (maybe).

Remember ... he already lost a libel case over his tumultuous relationship with Heard across the pond somewhat recently, when he sued The Sun over a headline they ran that called him a "wife beater" -- something a judge there found to be true in a ruling against him.

Depp lost (again) in an appeal in that case ... and the book is closed there. The legal battle wages on, though, here at home as he continues to press the issue in a U.S. court -- going after Amber herself for outright defamation. She, in turn, has countersued him ... for a lot.

With that said, Johnny made sure to shoutout his loyal fans in this interview ... because he says they're the ones who are on the right side of history, calling them his true "employers." He adds, "I'm proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth they're trying to get out since it doesn't in more mainstream publications."

Lizzo is once again batting off haters who have nothing but mean things to say about her -- but this time, it's truly gotten to her ... 'cause she's in tears on camera.

The singer went live Sunday and broke down over what she says is growing negativity aimed in her direction following the release of her and Cardi B's new song, "Rumors," which Lizzo says amounts to fat-shaming, racism and accusations of catering to white audiences.

Lizzo says that despite trying to put positive energy in the world through her music or posts or whatever, she feels like she oftentimes receives more hatred back than love ... and while she notes that she's got thick skin for that type of thing, it's weighing on her hard now.

She makes a valid point -- namely, that if you're not into her music or persona or anything else about her artistry, just change the dial to something else ... instead, however, Lizzo says she's been noticing people going out of their way to belittle her, and she can't make sense of it.

This is nothing new for her -- Lizzo's dealt with this type of hate since splashing onto the scene, and she's usually pretty good about telling people to kick rocks. She ends doing that here as well, but this video is truly a peek at how hard all the trash-talking is hitting her armor ... and heartbreaking, to say the least. Even Cardi felt compelled to speak up.

She writes, "When you stand up for yourself they claim your problematic & sensitive. When you don’t they tear you apart until you crying like this. Whether you skinny,big,plastic, they going to always try to put their insecurities on you. Remember these are nerds looking at the popular table." Other celebs have come to her defense as well, including Chloe Bailey.

Lizzo says she's going to start focusing on the positive and ignore hate messages she might read about herself on social media and elsewhere -- TBH, that sounds like a great idea.

The Taliban are continuing to take hold of Afghanistan, and instant changes reflecting their ideology are already cropping up in the nation's capital ... especially as it relates to women.

The so-called religious "students" and their vast discipleship are on the brink of sacking Kabul right now -- with mass evacuations underway among citizens and leaders (like Afghanistan's president, Ashraf Ghani, who's said to have fled) but also ... U.S. diplomats and other allies who are stranded at the embassy there, which is basically under siege.

Aside from the utter chaos that's descended upon the area over the past week or so -- it's becoming quite clear that with the Taliban at the helm again, which looks more and more likely by the day, their world is going to look vastly different ... and almost overnight, too.

One example of this that's manifesting this weekend is the fact that posters, billboards and advertising-like images of women in and around Kabul are starting to get painted over completely, presumably at the Taliban's behest. Check out this photo showing exactly that.

The thinking here seems to be in line with what the Taliban subscribes to -- a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which often sees women of its faith being covered up and often relegated to whatever a man has to say. One glance at this, and it would appear the Taliban wants to get the status-quo back ASAP -- unraveling 20 years of a U.S. presence there.

Of course, it's become a political nightmare on our shores -- with Republicans pointing the finger at President Biden for evacuating our troops in recent months. But, his counterpoint was ... well, this is something Trump brokered while in office, and he just followed through.

In the meantime, footage that has surfaced of what's going on on the ground level is shocking. The streets of Kabul are jam-packed with people trying to hit the airport to get outta Dodge. But they're out of luck because commercial flights have reportedly been suspended.

Instead, it looks like only military aircrafts are being used at the moment ... and there's video of people trying to board what appears to be a cargo plane of some sort -- the type that opens up in the back, normally used for transporting massive gear and equipment.

This is just a taste of the scene there, and it's gut-wrenching. Big picture ... some U.S. officials have openly warned what letting the Taliban have its run of the place might mean for national security -- AKA, potential terrorism threats that could arise from this insurgence.

The star of Marvel's new superhero movie took offense to Disney calling it an "experiment" -- and now, his anger has roped in "Black Panther" comparisons ... and a larger convo on race.

Actor Simu Liu fired off a scorching tweet Saturday AM that seemed to be in direct response to what CEO, Bob Chapek, had said a few days earlier about the release of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" during an earnings call with investors.

Chapek was commenting on the fact 'Shang-Chi' -- unlike other Disney theatrical releases this year -- would get an exclusive 45-day window in theaters, as opposed to being released to Disney+ at the same time like other 2021 offerings ... which he said would make for an interesting "experiment" to see how it shakes out at the box office amid the pandemic.

Nothing derogatory about that on its face, it would seem, but Liu didn't take too kindly to the word choice ... 'cause he insists he and others who worked on the film -- other Asian actors, specifically, it appears -- are not part of whatever test Chapek and co. wanna run.

Liu writes, "We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise." He adds, "I'm fired the f*** up to make history on September 3rd; JOIN US."

Sounds like Liu might've misconstrued what Chapek was getting at ... but his interpretation of the remark might also speak to what fans have perceived about the marketing efforts and enthusiasm over the flick ... or a lack thereof, as some alleged in the days ahead of this blowup.

Some fans who are stoked about getting a first-ever Asian-led Marvel superhero film are sour over the lack of attention in the lead-up to its release, and/or possible box office numbers this movie may or may not generate ... with "Black Panther" juxtapositions springing up as a result. That, in turn, has led to debates over what that thinking actually means.

Others suggest that bringing up 'BP' to gripe about a lack of hype around 'Shang Chi' is actually counterintuitive to inclusivity as a whole ... and some have gone as far as to call it anti-Black. Kinda like bringing something else down just to bring yourself up type of a vibe.

There's a lot of layers to this one, but the point many are making is ... why can't we all eat without taking food out of another's mouth? Also, movie releases in 2021 can't really be compared to big ticket blockbusters of years past. It's a weird year with its own scorecard.

George Takei is drawing a line in the sand on vaccines -- saying those who consciously choose not to get the jab should be refused priority care if they get sick from COVID.

The "Star Trek" star came out swinging with his hot take Friday, writing ... "The willfully unvaccinated who wind up in hospitals from Covid should not receive priority medical care over other very sick or injured people who are as much in urgent need of medical care."

GT followed by tweeting the following ... "Anti-vaxxers think they are owning us liberals by refusing to get vaccinated. But as the kids say, this is an epic self-own."

His sentiment has gotten some blowback because of the harsh do-or-die approach. Some have pointed out there's a number of people who are unvaccinated for a variety of reasons ... and instead of calling for them to get left out in the dust, as George suggests here, they argue there simply needs to be even more outreach/education on vaccine safety.

It would appear George -- and others who've also called for the unvaccinated to lose out on privileges -- is past the point of talking and convincing. Fact is, the data is out there.

Kaley Cuoco is enraged at the trainer in the Olympics who hit her horse with her fist, calling the move "classless" and "abusive."

Kaley launched hard on Annika Schleu and Kim Raisner from Germany, who tried in vain to get Saint Boy to jump during the event. The coach, Kim Raisner, is also seen in video slapping the horse. She was disqualified for her misconduct.

Kaley said, "I feel it's my duty and heart to comment on this disgrace. This is not Olympic show jumping. This is a disgusting, classless, abusive representation of our sport in so many ways.  this team should be ashamed of themselves." She punctuated her comments with a photo of Schleu.

Kaley, who's an accomplished rider, is married to horse trainer Karl Cook.

And, Kaley wasn't done ... "You and your team did not do your country proud or this sport. You make us look bad. Shame on you and godspeed to any animal that comes in contact with you."

And, there's more ... "Pure classless behavior right here. Disgusting on all levels. This is not our sport. This does not represent our sport, This rider and her 'trainer' are a disgrace."

Kaley ended this way ... "I'll buy that horse outright and show it the life it should have. Name your price."

Bill Maher thinks Matt Damon is a shining example of the absurdity of dragging good people on social media ... people, Maher says, who have committed the cardinal sin of confessing their imperfections.

As you know, Matt took fire for using the homophobic f-word to his daughter. He says he was telling a joke and used the word and she schooled him. He went on to say he's learned never to use the word again.

The 'Real Time' host sees it this way "... we could say, ‘Welcome, glad you could make it.' Or we could say, ‘You came later than I did. Die.'"

Maher then read a series of headlines slamming Damon, to which he said, “Really? … He’s got a clean water charity and delivers food to Haiti. What have you done, Vox headline writer? And yet, he is always getting pulled over by the woke police.”

ICYMI ... Damon tried to clarify by saying, "I have never called anyone f***** in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening. I do not use slurs of any kind." The problem ... he had said he did use the word when he told his daughter a joke.

Jessie Woo's on the rise as a singer and comedian on "Wild 'N Out," and this Whitney Houston bit she did will either make her way more popular, or draw a ton of hate ... just depends.

So, the segment tasked comedians on the show with creating outgoing voice messages impersonating famous people, and Jessie arguably drew the short straw by getting Whitney.

For her impression, Jessie did new lyrics for "I Will Always Love You," and really got the crowd going at first. Hey, she's got a good voice, but as she cruised into the crescendo of the song's chorus ... Jessie dropped a bomb by cutting the song short and saying, "I'm dead," and walking off.

The crowd was stunned, so it begs the question ... too soon???

Whitney died of accidental drowning with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. in February 2012, and, online at least, opinions seem split on whether joking about it should be off-limits.

Many on social media are calling out Jessie's joke for being "lazy," "insensitive," "offensive" and "disrespectful." Others, however, find it hilarious, with one person saying they laugh every time they watch ... even though they're a Whitney fan.

Worth noting -- Jessie posted a tribute to Whitney on her Instagram a few days ago, for what would have been the late singer's 58th birthday. She's really got the pipes to pull it off, too!

Kourtney Kardashian wasn't having it when a slew of folks checked out some of her pics and jumped to the conclusion .... she's pregnant.

Kourtney posted a series of photos with the caption, "say hi to my closet." The closet wasn't even visible to some of her fans, who dissected her image and somehow thought she had a baby on board.

Call us crazy, but we just don't see it ... at all.

Kourtney decided to fire back with more than a denial ... she made a statement about men needing to understand some basics -- "I'm a woman with a BODY."

The Kardashians are kinda in a no win, because a bunch of fans jumped to the conclusion this week that Kylie was pregnant, but not because of a pic she posted. Their conclusion was based on the fact she did NOT post a pic of herself at her birthday party. As we told you, the only pic Kylie posted on her BD was one that was taken sometime in the past.

BTW ... the Kylie mystery is way more interesting. She was super secretive about her pregnancy with Stormi, and she's back with Travis Scott and it is weird she shows all the trappings of her birthday party, including sushi and cocktails, but never showed herself.