New York ? When point guard Paccelis Morlende of France heard his name called with the 50th pick of the NBA draft, he got out of his seat amid a throng of Knicks fans and walked onstage to meet deputy commissioner Russ Granik.

Morlende was one of a record 21 international players chosen Thursday night, many of whom sat in the stands as the draft unfolded.

“It shows you their appreciation for the NBA and the opportunity to play in the NBA. I mean, they’re in the second round and they’re fired up,” said agent Bill Duffy, who watched the night’s events unfold from the area in Madison Square Garden known as the green room.

Granik customarily announces the second-round picks and then hastily retreats backstage, but Thursday night he had to wait a few times as players including Slavko Vranes (No. 39, New York), Zaur Pachulia (No. 42, Orlando) and Morlende (who was selected by Philadelphia and then dealt to Seattle) made their way through the remainder of the crowd and walked onstage. All were dressed in fancy suits, none of which measured up to LeBron James’ all-white ensemble designed by Bill Drakopoulos and Carl Harris of BD Tailor Shop in Chicago.

Seattle’s Rashard Lewis cried at the 1998 draft when he lasted into the second round, and the NBA has tried to spare others a similar embarrassment by limiting its green room invitations to those expected to be drafted in the first round.

But many of the foreign players took it upon themselves to show up in person Thursday night and wait for their names to be called.

“It’s probably like what we (Americans) were like in the ’50s,” Duffy said. “They just have a better appreciation, a better work ethic, and that’s meaningful to them.”