海角大神

Here鈥檚 a sports prediction almost certain to come true: The MVP of this year鈥檚 NBA Finals between Miami and Oklahoma City will eventually be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., basketball鈥檚 birthplace.

To see why this isn鈥檛 going out on a limb, just check the record. Since 1969, when the league first selected the Most Valuable Player of the Finals, only two MVPs have not made the hall (JoJo White of the Boston Celtics and Dennis Johnson of the Seattle SuperSonics).

Another safe prediction is that even after retirement, most former playoff MVPs will keep their hand in the game, at least to some degree. Virtually all do.

As for why superstars have a virtual lock on the MVP in basketball more than the other major pro team sports, it鈥檚 all pretty simple, really. The stars get a lion鈥檚 share of the playing time during a minimum of four games in which they are constantly leaving their mark on the proceedings.

By the way, one NBA Finals MVP is playing in the current series: Miami鈥檚 Dwayne Wade. The other still-active players who鈥檝e been MVPs and will no doubt be voted into the Hall of Fame after their retirement are Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Chauncey Billups.

Find out what former Finals MVPs are doing today, as near as can be determined: