Sonia Raman gets candid on coaching Dominique Malonga, NBA transition & more

Zena, Ben, and Sabreena react to A’ja Wilson being named Time’s 2025 Athlete of the Year and the impact that recognition has on her and the WNBA. Then they get into the New York Liberty introducing their new head coach, Chris DeMarco, and what his plan and coaching style could bring to the team. After that, Sonia Raman stops by to share her unconventional journey into basketball—from her early influences as a fan, to her coaching experience at MIT and with the Memphis Grizzlies, to her transition into the WNBA. She also reflects on the opportunity to coach generational talent Dominique Malonga. Finally, we wrap things up with a hypothetical WNBA player comeback. __ No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/ 00:00 Intro 00:29 A’ja Wilson Named Time’s 2025 Athlete of the Year 04:25 Why A’ja Wilson is in a league of her own 13:04 The New York Liberty welcome Chris DeMarco as their new head coach 13:47 What the New York Liberty are counting on with DeMarco as head coach 24:53 Sonia Raman’s journey into basketball 28:01 Raman’s transition from MIT coach to NBA assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies 31:07 Raman looks back on her early days with the Grizzlies 34:13 Raman reflects on learning the WNBA before becoming a head coach 35:18 The evolving energy and environment of WNBA games 36:13 Raman on what she learned from Sandy Brondello 37:52 Raman described the Seattle Storm as the “perfect fit” for her 38:38 Raman on guiding Dominique Malonga’s development 41:16 Raman on the decline of women coaches in the NBA 43:05 Raman on ways to strengthen the pipeline for black women head coaches  44:19 Raman on the things she’s looking forward to in Seattle Related links and articles: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6879236/2025/12/10/aja-wilson-time-athlete-of-year-wnba/ by Devon Henderson __ Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Get in touch! Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com Show Links: -YouTube: @No-Offseason -Instagram: @tanooffseason [https://www.instagram.com/tanooffseason] -TikTok: @no_offseason [https://www.tiktok.com/@no_offseason] Credits: -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Ben on BlueSky: @benpickman -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings -Produced by Taneka Burrell -Executive Produced by Andrea B. Scott Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1 Full Episodes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm7txmok7cpMB3YlgkwrT2E0 Shorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm72uhBjsd24rsh5teZtgUpS #wnba #wnba2025 #womeninsports #basketball Thumbnail: Steph Chambers / Staff / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images Steph Chambers / Staff / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images