In the early 2000s, Sonia Raman was on the traditional track to a successful career in law, but coaching basketball kept bouncing back to her. A lifelong fan of the sport, Raman—who played at Tufts University and coached throughout her collegiate and post-grad career—eventually heeded the call, making a pivot that would change her life.

Last fall, Raman reached the pinnacle of her coaching career when she was hired as the Seattle Storm’s eighth coach in the team’s 25-year history, making her the first head coach of Indian descent in the Women’s National Basketball Association. Raman was also the first assistant coach of Indian descent and the 14th woman hired in the NBA (by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020).

Before signing on with Seattle, Raman was an assistant coach at the WNBA’s New York Liberty, but the bulk of her head coaching career comes from her time at MIT, where she coached the NCAA Division III school from 2008 to 2020.

“It’s a tremendous honor and a privilege to be sitting here and to be in that role,” Raman said during her introductory press conference in November. “It’s a huge responsibility as well, and I think I’ve said this before: I am the first, but I don’t want to be the last. And so how does that connect to the community of Seattle, and of course, the greater Asian community? It’s really important that I’m showing up every day, that I’m pouring into the players and to the organization and then to the greater community, and that I’m doing my best so that I can create these opportunities, open these doors, or just allow this next generation to see what’s possible.”

As an undergraduate, Raman was a walk-on for the Tufts women’s basketball team. After an injury as a junior, she dedicated herself to advance scouting opponents, which set her on her coaching journey. She would finish her senior year at Tufts as a team captain, then go on to law school at Boston College, eventually landing a job at an investment firm. All the while, she moonlighted as an assistant basketball coach at nearby Wellesley College.

By 2008, MIT was searching for a women’s basketball coach and a director of compliance. The combination of vacancies suited Raman’s basketball bona fides and her law background. She took the leap and hasn’t looked back since.

The risk has paid off—Raman has been widely recognized for her grasp of basketball analytics. Vigorously analyzing data, she distills the information to evaluate opponents’ tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses, then she uses the results to her team’s advantage. In a city known for its women’s sports, Raman’s arrival is fitting, as she steps into the role of a history-making coach leading a history-making team.