The Memphis Grizzlies basketball team welcomed a new assistant coach last Friday, NBA India reports. Sonia Raman became the first Indian American woman to join the NBA’s coaching staff.
According to NBA India, Raman is the 14th female assistant coach in the NBA’s history and replaces Niele Ivey, another assistant coach leaving for a head coach position at the University of Notre Dame.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff. I can’t wait to get to Memphis and get started… ” Raman said in a Memphis Grizzlies press release. “I must also give a truly special thank you to MIT and the women I’ve had the honor of coaching for the past 12 years. I wish the program continued success.”
According to the same press release, Raman started her coaching career at her alma mater, Tufts University. She would then move on to be an assistant coach at Wellesley College for six years, followed by 12 stunning seasons as the head coach for MIT’s women’s basketball team.
Under Raman’s leadership, her MIT team won their first New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships in 2018 and 2019, News India Times reports. Raman was also named NEWMAC Coach of the Year twice, in 2016 and 2017, and is a part of the Coaches Council for the Alliance of Women Coaches.
Raman’s appointment to the Grizzlies is momentous, News India Times reports, as she is ““one of very few Indian American basketball coaches at a major institution.”
According to NBA India, Raman joins Vin Bhavnani (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Roy Rana (Sacramento Kings) as the only coaches of Indian origin in the league.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Sonia to the Memphis Grizzlies,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, according to the Grizzlies’ press release. “She has a high basketball IQ and a tremendous ability to teach the game, as well as a strong passion for the game. She is going to be a great addition to our current coaching staff.”
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