[1] He completed his college career at Gonzaga University in the United States in 2017, and played professionally in Spain and Poland.

[3] For his freshman season he was behind star Canadian center Kelly Olynyk, a future lottery pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

[5] The surgery followed a prolonged episode of back pain so severe that by the time of the operation, it took him over an hour to get out of bed and perform normal morning activities; he was also unable to walk without crutches.

For the rest of his Gonzaga career, the team's training staff placed him on a customized conditioning program to protect his back, and he did not participate in any basketball-related activity outside of games and scheduled practices.

[6] On May 24, 2016, Gonzaga announced that Karnowski had received a medical redshirt and would return to the school for one final college season in 2016–17.

[8] Karnowski would be surpassed later that season by Hayes and Duke's Amile Jefferson, and passed both in a win in Gonzaga's Final Four matchup with South Carolina.

After the 2017 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament, Karnowski became the NCAA's career leader in wins with 132, passing Shane Battier (131).

During his tenure with Gonzaga Bulldogs he became a fan favorite not only because his skills, but also because of his outgoing and friendly attitude as well as his signature beard.

Tens of thousands of Polish fans watched his March Madness surge overnight, because of the time difference.