Seattle Storm expected to hire Liberty assistant Sonia Raman as next coach, per report

The Seattle Storm are set to hire New York Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman as their next coach, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Raman joins the Storm after a coaching career that spans across the collegiate and professional ranks and in both the WNBA and NBA.

Prior to her lone season with the Liberty this year, Raman was an assistant for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies from 2020 to 2024. Before making the jump to the professional ranks, she was the head coach of MIT women’s basketball team for 12 years between 2008 and 2020. During her tenure, she led the team to its first two conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances at the Division III level. Before that, she was the lead assistant at Wellesley College for six seasons, and began her coaching career at her alma mater of Tufts University.

Raman comes with a wealth of coaching experience at a variety of levels, and becomes the first person of Indian-origin to become a head coach in the WNBA. Raman also interviewed for the Liberty’s head coaching vacancy, according to The Athletic’s Ben Pickman, after the team parted ways with Sandy Brondello following a first-round playoff exit to the Phoenix Mercury. Ultimately, though, she lands the lead job with the Storm where she’ll look to aid in the development of Dominique Malonga, who earned All-Rookie honors this past season.

Raman takes over after the Storm parted ways with Noelle Quinn in September following a first-round playoff exit. Quinn spent seven seasons with the Storm, two of which were as an assistant before being elevated to head coach in 2021. She led the team to four playoff appearances in her five seasons in charge, but in the last two years could not make it out of the first round. Following the end of the 2024 season, Quinn and her coaching staff were investigated for alleged mistreatment of players that included bullying and harassment. Quinn and her staff were cleared of any wrongdoing, but Jewell Loyd requested a trade from the team, who then became a vital piece of the Las Vegas Aces’ title run this year.

Following the early playoff exit, the Storm face an offseason with several questions to answer. Only two players are under contract for next season, and with Malonga expected to be the future face of the franchise, the Storm have to figure out how they want to approach next season.