The Seattle Storm agreed to a multiyear deal with former New York Liberty assistant Sonia Raman, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday. As the Storm began their search for a new leader, they selected a highly sought-after candidate from other teams also searching for a head coach. With Seattle ready to start a new era, its new head coach will bring a championship culture back to the Pacific Northwest.

The Storm were led by Noelle Quinn, who coached for five seasons after taking over for Dan Hughes in 2021. She made WNBA history last season as the only African American Woman head coach in the league. Although Seattle had rosters filled with stars like Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, Skylar Diggins, and Nneka Ogwumike, they never reached their full potential under Quinn. In 2023, Seattle failed to make the playoffs after losing Bird and Stewart in the offseason. When the Storm signed Ogwumike and Diggins in the 2024 offseason, expectations to succeed were high. After multiple seasons of finishing earlier than expected, Seattle decided a change needed to be made. Now with a new leader at the helm, the future is bright in the Emerald City.

Raman is the first person of Indian descent to be a WNBA head coach, and she was previously the first Indian American woman to be an NBA assistant. Before spending one year in New York under Sandy Brondello, she was an assistant on the Memphis Grizzlies for four years. Before reaching the professional ranks, Raman was the head coach at MIT, where she had the most wins in program history. In her many years as an assistant at the professional level, she broke down film to improve the development of the players, both on the Grizzlies and the Liberty. With many years as an assistant under her belt, she now gets a chance as the head coach of the Storm. Although Raman will lead the team, the roster makeup is unclear due to ongoing CBA negotiations. While many of their players are free agents, Seattle is still in a position to succeed with young talent to build around.

The Storm selected center Dominique Malonga with the second pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, and she showed her star potential right away. She averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds, and 14.3 minutes per game. While Malonga spent the first part of her rookie campaign learning from the sideline, she became a regular rotation piece down the stretch and into the postseason. With a new coach in Raman that excels at analyzing film, Malonga is positioned to develop further into a vital piece for Seattle to build around. While she is a big part of the Storm’s future, they also have Jordan Horston and Nika Mühl, who were selected in previous drafts. 

Both Mühl and Horston had their contracts suspended last season while they recovered from offseason knee surgeries, but they are expected to be ready for next season. In addition to young pieces on the roster, Seattle will have a lottery pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. They acquired a top-five pick from the Los Angeles Sparks in a blockbuster trade that sent their 2024 pick to the Sparks, which they used to select Rickea Jackson. Although which pick they have is unclear, the Storm will add another important young piece from an impressive draft class. There is a wealth of young talent on the roster for Raman to lead in Seattle, but the direction the franchise goes will be determined in free agency.

The Storm have many free agents they will prioritize this offseason, including their entire starting five from last season. With Raman now leading the team, Seattle can compete for a championship if they re-sign Ogwumike and Diggins. However, the top priority should be to retain their young stars like Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams. Both Magbegor (26) and Williams (29) represent the Storm’s nucleus that a championship team can be built around. However, Seattle must retain its two young stars for a brighter future. Williams had a career year, averaging 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game last season. She earned her first All-Star appearance as a result and finished on the All-Defensive First Team. 

While Magbegor didn’t have as good a 2025 campaign, her presence was felt throughout the year. She averaged eight points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game. Magbgegor’s defense has been her calling card during her career, even in a substandard 2025 season. She made the Second Team All-Defense this year, and with Raman now as the head coach, Magbegor could be a focal point if she returns. If Magbegor and Williams return to the Storm next year, Raman will position the team for success no matter who else they bring in.

When searching for a new head coach, General Manager Talisa Rhea insisted on establishing a new identity, whether the roster changes or not. Choosing Raman as the new head coach is a key part of building a new culture that could lead to success. Although some parts of the roster are still to be determined, Raman will be set on bringing violent thunderstorms back to the Pacific Northwest.