Laura Cornelius is a professional basketball player from the Netherlands. She is currently a member of Çukurova Basketbol in the Turkish Women’s Basketball League. Cornelius has served as the captain of the Netherlands women’s national basketball team.
Born on February 8, 1996, in Groningen, Netherlands, Laura Cornelius began her career at the amateur club Celeritas-Donar. At the age of 12, she was already competing on the club’s under-20 team, where her coach recognized her as the “potentially biggest talent in Dutch basketball”.
Subsequently, Laura Cornelius played for CTO Amsterdam in the Women’s Basketball League, which is the premier national league. She earned the title of Rookie of the Year for the 2012/2013 season, achieving an average of 12 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
In 2014, Laura Cornelius was set to join Gonzaga University to play collegiate basketball; however, a knee injury led her to abandon those plans. From 2015 to 2018, she played for the Miami Hurricanes women’s basketball team. During this time, she also received offers from Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Kansas State. In her junior year, Laura Cornelius served as co-captain of the Hurricanes, although she had to redshirt that season due to a leg injury.
From 2019 to 2023, Laura Cornelius was active in Spain, representing various teams such as CD Zamarat (2019-2020), Gernika KESB (2020-2021), IDK Euskotren (2021-2022), and CB Girona (2022-2023).
In January 2023, the Turkish club Cukurova Basketbol reached out to Girona with a transfer fee proposal, which ultimately resulted in her transfer to Turkey. During the remainder of the 2022/2023 season, the team secured the position of runners-up in the 2022/2023 EuroLeague Women.
In 2023, Laura Cornelius transitioned to Mersin BSB in Turkey. With this team, she faced defeat in the EuroLeague Women’s final in 2025.
At the junior level, Laura Cornelius achieved a bronze medal at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women. She currently serves as the captain of the Netherlands women’s national basketball team.
Laura Cornelius photos
