New York Liberty assistant Sonia Raman has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the new head coach of the Seattle Storm, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.
Raman makes WNBA history as the first person of Indian descent to be head coach after being the first Indian American woman to be an NBA assistant.
Raman spent 2020-24 as an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies and last season with the Liberty.
Andy Latack and Steve Neff of Klutch Sports negotiated the new deal with the Storm.
Seattle fired head coach Noelle Quinn on Sept. 21, three days after losing to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs. The Storm went 97-89 during Quinn's five seasons as head coach after she replaced Dan Hughes, who retired midway through the 2021 campaign.
This was Seattle's first full coaching search since hiring Hughes in October 2017. The Storm went on to win championships in 2018 and 2020, the latter with Gary Kloppenburg serving as head coach because Hughes was not medically cleared to participate in the WNBA's bubble season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
"I think we're looking for a leader, someone who can manage a group and really establish a new identity," Seattle general manager Talisa Rhea told ESPN last month. "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."
Storm All-Stars Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Brittney Sykes and Gabby Williams are all set to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, like nearly every veteran WNBA player -- with a new collective bargaining agreement set to increase salaries.
However, Seattle has center Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick of the 2025 draft, under contract after she earned All-Rookie team honors as the league's youngest player. Raman's hiring leaves her former team, the Liberty, as the lone WNBA team searching for a head coach.