Sometimes all it takes to win a championship in team sports is to be in the right place at the right time.

In the U.S. National Basketball Association, a number of fringe players on multi-titled Boston units from the fifties and sixties earned championship rings by hopping onto the broad shoulders of legendary center great Bill Russell.

In his distinguished 13-year NBA tenure with the Celtics from 1956-57 through 1968-69, the 6-10 Russell won 11 titles in a dozen trips to the NBA Finals.

The winningest NBA player ever, Russell first powered the Celtics to the mountain top in 1957 as a rookie out of the University of San Francisco. He then earned eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966 – the longest championship streak in NBA history – before winning twice more in 1968 and 1969 as a player-coach with the Green.

Among Russell’s teammates during Boston’s extended title reign was James Loscutoff, a 6-5 enforcer who endeared himself to Celtic fans with his hard-driving physical plays.

Nicknamed “Jungle Jim,” Loscutoff secured six championships with the Hub City squad in 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964. He missed out on a seventh ring when he was sidelined during the 1960 playoffs due to an injury.

How lucky Loscutoff was in comparison to fellow Celtic products Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, both of whom won only three championships (1981, 1984 and 1986), and Bill Sharman, who only got four (1957, 1959, 1960 and 1961).

The next six players with the most number of NBA championships also were beneficiaries of Russell’s huge success in Boston.

Guard Sam Jones romped away with 10 titles (1959-66, 1968-69).

With eight championships were swingman John “Hondo” Havlicek (1963-66, 1968-69 and post-Russell era 1974 and 1976), forward Tom Heinsohn (1957, 1959-65), guard K.C. Jones (1959-66) and Tom “Satch” Sanders (1961-66, 1968-69).

Guard Frank Ramsey (1957, 1959-64) owns seven titles with Boston. He’s tied with Robert Horry, who won twice with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995, thrice with the LA Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and twice with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and 2007.

In addition to Loscutoff, other players with six championships are Bob Cousy (Boston – 1957, 1959-63), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee – 1971; LA Lakers – 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88), Michael Jordan (Chicago – 1991-93, 1996-98) and Scottie Pippen (Chicago – 1991-93, 1996-98).

Those with five rings are Don Nelson (Boston – 1966, 1968-69, post-Russell era 1974 and 1976), Larry Siegfried (Boston – 1964-66, 1968-69), Jim Pollard (Minneapolis Lakers – 1949-50, 1952-54), Earvin “Magic” Johnson (LA Lakers – 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88), Michael Cooper (LA Lakers – 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-88), Slater Martin (Minneapolis Lakers – 1950, 1952-54; St. Louis Hawks – 1958), George Mikan (Minneapolis Lakers – 1949-50, 1952-54), Dennis Rodman (Detroit – 1989-90; Chicago – 1996-98) and Steve Kerr (Chicago – 1996-98; San Antonio – 1999, 2003).