The debate has raged for decades, who truly is the Greatest of all Time? Michael Jordan held a strong claim of this honor until the coming of LeBron James, and since then the discussion has featured passionate arguments and ardent supporters on both sides, with some occasional outbursts from the likes of Kareem, Bill Russell, and Wilt. While the debate is passionate, there is an oft-noted drawback in the validity of the question: If they played in different eras, against different players, how can we truly compare them?

Using the Comparison-RAM, or C-RAM, we can finally put numbers and objectivity to the usually qualitative and opinionated discussion.The C-RAM is a derivative of the RAM, an all-encompassing metric that evaluates a player’s performance (click here for more on the RAM), The C-RAM lays in perspective how good a player is relative to their competition at the time. It shows the peaks players reach among their competition, and the true mark of a GOAT is rising above the rest regardless of the era you are in.

In terms of scaling, the C-RAM of an average player or performance will clock in anywhere from 4.5-6.5, with 5.5 being the exact average for the event. C-RAMs of 7 or higher are seen as above-average performances, with 8.5-10 being an all-star level performance. A C-RAM of 10 or higher is considered elite, absolute superstardom.
2019-20 NBA C-RAMS.JPG
Here are the tops and bottoms of the top C-RAM tiers from the 2019-20 NBA season. Here we can see that the elite Gold tier, C-RAMs of 10+, only features 8 players. In the Silver tier, C-RAMs from 8.5-10, there are 28 players starting with Nikola Jokic ranging down to Gordon Hayward. The above-average Bronze tier, C-RAMs from 7-8.5, has 70 total players. Combined these tiers hold a total of 106 players, the top 20% of the NBA.

Putting Numbers to The Debate

Using the C-RAM we can now quantitatively compare the difference between MJ and LBJ in relation to their peers, and see just how dominant these individuals were in their respective eras.

Let’s first take a look at the dominance these two stars had during the peaks of their respective careers. In this case, peak is being defined as the stretch of 7 seasons for which these players held their highest average RAMs. For LeBron, this came during the 2007-2014 seasons. For Jordan this stretch ranged from 1986 to 1993.
MJ vs LBJ.JPG
Off the bat, the numbers for both of these legends are beyond incredible. Hitting a Gold C-RAM for 6 consecutive seasons is no small feat, and for Jordan to clear the 1000 mark in all of these seasons is even more impressive. We can see here that Jordan has the edge in both average RAM, and more importantly for this context, C-RAM as well. His 12.4 average C-RAM across this 7 season stretch edges LeBron’s out by 0.2, corroborating the idea that at their respective peaks, Jordan reached a height that LeBron never quite did. And while James was not far off, the average RAM difference of 46 along with the fractional C-RAM difference gives Jordan the clear win in this category.

The next aspect of this debate focuses on longevity, the primary argument LeBron supporters bring to the table, and rightfully so. The level of excellence that James has been able to sustain throughout his entire career, especially during these “twilight” years is a sheer anomaly.
MJ vs LBJ 2.JPG
We can see that across their respective careers, LeBron has Michael beat by a hair in C-RAM and RAM. There is a 0.1 C-RAM difference to go along with a 12 point RAM difference - incredibly close, but LeBron takes the edge here. When looking at their performances at 30 years or older, LeBron has a more sizable advantage. His average C-RAM for this period clocked in at 11.1 compared to 10.2 for Jordan, while LeBron has also played nearly 50 more games. Additionally, their final seasons feature the most sizable advantage for James, though there are two important caveats to note here - one is that for LeBron James, this final season is not the last of his career and has not yet been completed. Secondly, Jordan’s final season took place at age 39 while LeBron is still 36, a sizable age difference. Regardless, it is evident that the play of LeBron has only slightly faulted in the later stage of his career, and compared to Jordan he has regressed to a much lesser extent as Father Time marched on. A large part of LeBron’s greatness is owed to this impossibly long stretch of eliteness.

While a single answer may not have emerged from the C-RAM, its objectivity and ability to place numbers and facts behind a mostly subjective debate provides great value in comparing these two players who played in completely different eras. While Jordan reached a height slightly taller than LeBron ever could, the enduring greatness of LeBron needs to be respected in its own right.  

In this post we explored how the C-RAM can be used to compare players between eras, but the power does not stop there. The C-RAM can also be effectively used to compare players coming from entirely different leagues. Stay tuned to see how the C-RAM could have been used in preparing for one of the most interesting and impactful drafts in recent history, the 2018 NBA Draft featuring DeAndre Ayton, Trae Young, and Luka Doncic.

Off the bat, the numbers for both of these legends are beyond incredible. Hitting a Gold C-RAM for 6 consecutive seasons is no small feat, and for Jordan to clear the 1000 mark in all of these seasons is even more impressive. We can see here that Jordan has the edge in both average RAM, and more importantly for this context, C-RAM as well. His 12.4 average C-RAM across this 7 season stretch edges LeBron’s out by 0.2, corroborating the idea that at their respective peaks, Jordan reached a height that LeBron never quite did. And while James was not far off, the average RAM difference of 46 along with the fractional C-RAM difference gives Jordan the clear win in this category.

The next aspect of this debate focuses on longevity, the primary argument LeBron supporters bring to the table, and rightfully so. The level of excellence that James has been able to sustain throughout his entire career, especially during these “twilight” years is a sheer anomaly.

We can see that across their respective careers, LeBron has Michael beat by a hair in C-RAM and RAM. There is a 0.1 C-RAM difference to go along with a 12 point RAM difference - incredibly close, but LeBron takes the edge here. When looking at their performances at 30 years or older, LeBron has a more sizable advantage. His average C-RAM for this period clocked in at 11.1 compared to 10.2 for Jordan, while LeBron has also played nearly 50 more games. Additionally, their final seasons feature the most sizable advantage for James, though there are two important caveats to note here - one is that for LeBron James, this final season is not the last of his career and has not yet been completed. Secondly, Jordan’s final season took place at age 39 while LeBron is still 36, a sizable age difference. Regardless, it is evident that the play of LeBron has only slightly faulted in the later stage of his career, and compared to Jordan he has regressed to a much lesser extent as Father Time marched on. A large part of LeBron’s greatness is owed to this impossibly long stretch of eliteness.

While a single answer may not have emerged from the C-RAM, its objectivity and ability to place numbers and facts behind a mostly subjective debate provides great value in comparing these two players who played in completely different eras. While Jordan reached a height slightly taller than LeBron ever could, the enduring greatness of LeBron needs to be respected in its own right.  

In this post we explored how the C-RAM can be used to compare players between eras, but the power does not stop there. The C-RAM can also be effectively used to compare players coming from entirely different leagues. To see how the C-RAM could have been used in preparing for one of the most interesting and impactful drafts in recent history, the 2018 NBA Draft featuring DeAndre Ayton, Trae Young, and Luka Doncic