I’m Dennis Clifford, a 7-footer who was supposed to be done playing basketball by 22. That’s what the doctors told me. But 10 years later, I’m still hooping—and helping other athletes escape the same pain that almost ended my career.

In 2012, during my sophomore year at Boston College, my knees started to fail me. It wasn’t one big moment—it was a slow, brutal unraveling.I woke up every day with stabbing pain under my kneecaps. I limped around campus - to class, to practice and back to my dorm room. I played through it because I didn’t know what else to do. Ibuprofen before practice, ice bags after. The usual. Until it wasn’t manageable anymore.

Over the next two years, I tried everything: MRIs and x-raysTwo surgeriesPT, injections, rest, pain meds

And still, nothing changed. I was 22, and they told me I had arthritis, degenerative cartilage and chondromalasia—"You should stop playing.  And you’ll need to avoid stairs for the rest of your life."

It wasn’t just my body breaking down. My identity was shattered. I was depressed, angry, and bitter. I felt like I was letting everyone down, including myself. Basketball became a trigger for everything wrong in my life.

Then, one day in 2014, I met a guy named Hank. He showed me a completely different way to rebuild my body—a system that didn’t chase pain with more pain. We used lacrosse balls for SMR, Breathing drills, Posture realignment. Within 45 minutes, I felt better than I had in the past two years.I stood up, walked around, and felt light, like I had a brand new pair of legs.

I hadn’t felt that way since high school.That was the first spark of hope. The first time I trusted the process again—because I could feel it working in real time.2 months later, I played pickup with my teammates and actually moved like myself again.

I wasn’t perfect. I didn’t dominate. But I was free.

I defended, sprinted, switched onto guards, and for the first time in years, I didn’t think about my knees.I cried later that day.  I was so overjoyed, I couldn't believe it.Because for the first time in a long time, basketball felt fun again—not punishment. That moment sparked everything.Over the next decade, I kept refining the system that saved me.

I’ve played 8 years of pro basketball internationally. I studied every rehab model, tested every method on myself, and built a framework that actually works—not just in theory, but in real, demanding basketball seasons. Today, I coach athletes from all over the world—from pros in the G-League and Europe to 40-year-old former D1 players trying to get their confidence (and their knees) back.

My Pain-Free Performance system is not about sets and reps. It’s about rewiring the way your body moves so that you can build a foundation strong enough for a lifetime of athleticism. I’m not here to sell you hype. I’m here to give you the thing no other system gave me: hope that doesn’t fade after two weeks.