Storm Hire Sonia Raman as Liberty Have Last Remaining WNBA Opening

Another WNBA coaching vacancy has been filled.

Former New York Liberty assistant Sonia Raman has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the Seattle Storm’s new head coach, a source confirmed to Front Office Sports. Raman’s hire is the latest in the WNBA coaching carousel which started with five vacancies and is now down to just the Liberty. 

In addition to the Storm and Liberty, the Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, and Dallas Wings were all in search of new coaches this year. The Fire were first to announce theirs with an accidental post to their LinkedIn account on October 14. News that Sandy Brondello had agreed to become the Tempo’s first coach came earlier this week followed by the Wings tapping longtime USF coach Jose Fernandez to be their fifth coach in seven seasons. 

These moves leave the Liberty as the last WNBA coaching vacancy to be filled. Raman interviewed for the Liberty job, according to a source.

Raman’s hire makes WNBA history as she will become the first person of Indian descent to become a head coach in the league. She was also the first Indian-American woman to be an NBA assistant, serving on the Memphis Grizzlies staff from 2020-2024. 

The Storm job became available after the franchise fired coach Noelle Quinn who had led the franchise from 2021–2025. The team finished 23–21, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Aces. 

At the center of the Storm’s future is No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga who has the potential to develop into one of the biggest international stars the WNBA has ever seen. Malonga is currently in a dispute with Turkish club Fenerbahçe after she “unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause,” the team said. 

According to multiple sources, the Liberty are targeting candidates with NBA experience to fill their vacancy. The franchise fired Brondello one season removed from leading the team to its first WNBA championship. 

Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb defended the franchise’s decision to part with Brondello as they pursued “innovation.” He did not explain how Brondello’s exit would impact the remaing staff. Regardless, Raman was popular candidate after she had participated in interviews for head coaching positions in the last two cycles.