Chennai’s ‘daughter’ Sonia Raman makes history as first Indian WNBA head coach

NEW YORK/CHENNAI: New York Liberty assistant coach Sonia Raman has agreed to a deal to become the head coach of the Seattle Storm, making her the first person of Indian descent to be a head coach in the WNBA.

Raman was an assistant with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies for four years before coming to the New York Liberty this past season. She was born and brought up in the US by parents who migrated from India. Her father is from Chennai, while her mother is from Nagpur.

Seattle fired coach Noelle Quinn last month after the Storm were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The New York Liberty didn't renew Sandy Brondello's contract after losing the opening round to Phoenix. Raman was up for the New York job as well.

At Tufts University, Raman played as a guard, but her career was affected by an accident when she was hit by a car in her junior year and was sidelined with a broken leg. This proved providential, as she began focussing on coaching during this period.

After graduating from Tufts University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, Raman earned a law degree from Boston College Law School in 2001. She then worked for Fidelity Investments and the United States Department of Labour.

Raman's coaching career started at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she was a head coach from 2008-20. She led the school to the Division III NCAA Tournament twice and remains the winningest coach in programme history.

Speaking as a guest of a talk show in 2020, she had said, “My parents are both born in India. I have a huge family [in India] on the extended family side, tons of aunties and uncles… We do have basketball fans in the family… they are all in. They are so excited.”

“I am fortunate that I feel that there have been no barriers in that way. I also feel like I have been very much embraced as an Indian woman, whether as a player or as a coach. I do feel really lucky in that way,” she said.

“The culture and what my parents bring to me - that is my Indian heritage… Certainly the work ethic that my parents have shaped me with, as immigrants to the US. Just seeing how hard they worked my whole life and still do has been my inspiration for how I approach everything I approach.”

Talking about what influenced her, she said her family and their Indian heritage played a part. “I think there is a respect for others, the work ethic… I think those are probably what shaped me the most,” she told the hosts.

(With inputs from AP)