GM Grade
Solid front-office work
51 roster moves graded this tenure
51
Roster Moves
7 years
Tenure
GM Grade Analysis
B-Jonathan Kolb earns a B- for his roster-building work with the New York Liberty, a grade that reflects a front office navigating the complicated realities of managing one of the WNBA's marquee franchises. The Liberty carry genuine talent at the top of the roster, and Kolb deserves credit for constructing a squad capable of competing at a high level, but the B- signals that the surrounding infrastructure and roster depth have not consistently matched the caliber of the core. In a league where margin for error is razor-thin and rosters are compressed by salary constraints unique to the WNBA, building cohesive depth around franchise-caliber talent is the defining challenge for any GM — and that remains an area where Kolb has room to grow. The grade suggests above-average organizational competence without crossing into elite front-office territory, meaning the Liberty are well-positioned but not optimally constructed. For Kolb to push into A-range territory, the next phase of roster decisions will need to demonstrate sharper efficiency in filling complementary roles and maximizing the value of every roster spot. A B- is a reasonable place to be for a high-profile market team with real expectations, but it also signals that the gap between where the Liberty are and where they should be is still meaningfully present.
About Jonathan Kolb
Jonathan Kolb is the General Manager of the New York Liberty, the architect of the franchise's first WNBA championship and a former league-office analytics executive.
Before joining the Liberty, Kolb spent five years in the WNBA league office, finishing as Director of Basketball Strategy and Analytics, where he managed roster and salary-cap matters, assisted with collective-bargaining compliance and helped modernize the league's statistical systems. He was hired by the Liberty in March 2019, shortly after the Tsai ownership transition, and helped move the team into the Brooklyn era at Barclays Center. Kolb was named WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year in 2023 after building a 32-8 team that won the Commissioner's Cup and reached the Finals, then led the Liberty to the first championship in franchise history in 2024.
Fun facts
- He built the team that won the New York Liberty's first-ever WNBA title in 2024 — also New York City's first pro basketball championship since 1973.
- He was named WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year in 2023.
- Before becoming a GM he ran basketball strategy and analytics in the WNBA league office, overseeing roster and salary-cap administration.
