{
  "id": 284298,
  "title": "Kings to Honor Anze Kopitar, Cementing Him in Los Angeles History",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/kings-to-honor-anze-kopitar-cementing-him-in-los-angeles-history",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-07T23:08:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kings-honor-anze-kopitar-cementing-230823624.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Los Angeles Kings have confirmed they will retire Anze Kopitar's number 11 jersey and erect a bronze statue of the star player outside Crypto.com Arena, cementing his place in LA sports history. Born in Slovenia, Kopitar spent his entire 20-year NHL career with the Kings, setting franchise records for games played, assists and points. On February 24, 2027, he will receive the organization's highest individual honor. Kopitar is only the fourth King to receive both jersey retirement and a statue, joining Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Dustin Brown. Other players who have had their jerseys retired but not a statue include Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Rob Blake. Kopitar expressed his gratitude in the team's announcement, saying he never imagined receiving this recognition after 21 years in Los Angeles. Robitaille, the Kings' president, praised Kopitar for defining what it means to be a Los Angeles King over the past two decades, highlighting his leadership, consistency and commitment to excellence.",
  "summary": "The Los Angeles Kings announced on Friday that they are retiring the jersey of Anze Kopitar and erecting a statue of the franchise great outside of Crypto.com Arena, securing his place in LA history. Kopitar, who hails from Slovenia but spent his entire 20-year NHL career with the Kings, holds franchise records for games played, assists, and points. The team described receiving his No. 11 jersey as \"the organization's highest individual honor,\" joining Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and Dustin Brown as the only other Kings to receive both honors.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}