WNBA: New Storm head coach Sonia Raman will make league history

Sonia Raman has agreed to become the next head coach of the Seattle Storm, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

An assistant coach with the New York Liberty during the 2025 season, Raman will be the first WNBA head coach of Indian descent. She also will be the league’s only current head coach who is a woman of color.

Before joining the Liberty bench, Raman spent four seasons as an assistant with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, working in scouting, player development and analytics. Prior to that, the former walk-on guard at Tufts University was the head coach at MIT from 2008 to 2020, after first serving as an assistant at Wellesley from 2002 to 2008. Raman also earned her law degree from Boston College before beginning her coaching career, working for Fidelity Investments and the US Department of Labor.

Raman’s diverse experiences, both in basketball and beyond, suggest she is suited to fulfill the characteristics outlined by Storm general manager Talisa Rhea after the dismissal of former head coach Noelle Quinn. Rhea asserted:

I think we’re looking for a leader, someone who can manage a group and really establish a new identity. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and we’re entering a new chapter, just kind of leaguewide, so excited for someone to really be able to put their mark on a team and build confidence, build team chemistry and build an identity on the court that will ultimately lead us to trying to compete for years to come.

Implementing systems that unlock the full extent of Dominique Malonga’s talent, presumably, will be Raman primary on-court priority. Off the court, she’ll be charged with rebuilding a team culture that has been riven by rumored discord in recent seasons.

Raman’s hiring follows those of Jose Fernandez by the Dallas Wings, Sandy Brondello by the Toronto Tempo and Alex Sarama by the Portland Fire, leaving the New York Liberty as the only WNBA team without a head coach.