In the second quarter of last night’s highly anticipated matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, LeBron James fell to the floor immediately after colliding with Draymond Green’s shoulder.

That collision was assessed as a flagrant foul and James fell to the ground. Hard.

But it’s not about how he fell, how hard he fell, or even the fact that he fell at all. It’s about him getting back up, showing resiliency that James attributed to his football background.

“I think his shoulder hit me in the face. It happened so fast, I didn’t even know who it was. But I’m alright, I’m a football player,” James said after the Monday night game.

James was a basketball phenom at St. Vincent-St.Mary (Akron, Ohio), but he also enjoyed a superb career on the gridiron. James was a two-time all-state selection at receiver before giving up the sport as a senior.

It would have been completely reasonable for James to take his time getting back to his feet, given the intensity of the collision. However, he chose to get back up and face the competition head on.

It seems that the lessons James learned during his time playing football have stuck with him.