The Seattle Storm have named Sonia Raman their ninth full-time head coach in franchise history, following a year with the New York Liberty.
Sonia Raman will swap seafoam for Seattle.
Per Shams Charania of ESPN, the Seattle Storm have named Raman the ninth full-time head coach in franchise history. She will succeed Noelle Quinn, who was bid farewell after four-plus seasons at the helm, and Raman spent last season as an assistant coach on the New York Liberty’s championship defense. Leading the negotiations were Andy Latack and Steve Neff of Klutch Sports.
Raman, 51, brings previous head coaching experience from a 12-year term at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s women’s program. She guided the Engineers to two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference titles and two subsequent appearances in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament, while also standing as the all-time winningest coach in program history.
NY Liberty assistant Sonia Raman has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the new head coach of the Seattle Storm, sources tell ESPN. Raman makes WNBA history as the first person of Indian-origin to be head coach – after being the first Indian-American woman to be NBA assistant. pic.twitter.com/HH1tPslIac
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2025
Raman also spent six seasons as the top assistant coach on the bench of another New England school, Wellesley College. She joined the staff of Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello last year, essentially replacing the Connecticut-bound Roneeka Hodges, after the team secured its first postseason championship in franchise history.
According to Ben Pickman of The Athletic, Raman did, in fact, interview for the vacant Liberty position. It’s been confirmed that she will look to develop French sensation Dominique Malonga, who was selected No. 2 overall by Seattle in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Raman Brings NBA Experience to Seattle
More recently, Raman spent four years as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, establishing herself as one of the stronger analytical minds in the game. This continues a trend of bringing recent NBA talent into the W: five of the 11 officially hired coaches have at least one year of experience on an NBA bench, including reigning Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase (Golden State) and recent hire Alex Sarama, who will lead the rebooted Portland Fire.
“Sonia has made a huge impression on this group. I love her work ethic. I love her care factor for our guys,” then-Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Raman in March 2024, per Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal. “Her voice has continued to grow so much with confidence in the relationships with our players and our staff. She’s got this unbelievable personality, we connected with basketball, but knowing our histories as families and growing up and world travels, it’s been fun to develop a relationship with her outside of the lines.”
Raman now joins a Storm group looking to keep making headway in its post-Sue Bird/Breanna Stewart era. The team is coming off a seventh-place finish on the most recent WNBA ledger and has several potential-packed projects under contract despite the uncertainty surrounding the collective bargaining agreement situation.
Dominique Malonga, the second overall choice of the 2025 WNBA Draft, will be back after a sterling end to her freshman campaign, while the team also carries Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, who both missed the 2025 tour with injuries. Notable Seattle free agents include Skylar Diggins, Ezi Magbegor, Nneka Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, and in-season addition Brittney Sykes.
Raman’s hire, ironically, leaves the Liberty as the only team without a reported successor to their head coaching vacancy. Brondello was reportedly hired by the expansion Toronto Tempo, while the Fire has confirmed bringing in Sarama, who is currently stationed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Dallas Wings have also reportedly hired former University of South Florida coach Jose Fernandez to fill their head coaching vacancy.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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