Jason Collins was a trailblazer in the NBA as the league’s first openly gay playe r, and Jason Kidd felt lucky enough to call him a friend. Collins died Tuesday at 47 after a fight with Stage 4 glioblastoma. The late NBA center played eight years with the Nets and overlapped for seven years together as players before Kidd coached Collins for one season in 2013-14. Kidd, a 10-time All-Star as a player and now the head coach of the Mavericks, spoke fondly of Collins after the news of his passing became public. Nets head coach talks with Jason Collins during a game against the Kings at Barclays Center on March 9, 2014. Getty Images “This one hurts. Jason Collins was a pioneer,” Kidd wrote on X, adding a broken heart emoji in his message. “He had courage like you’ve never seen. He was an incredible teammate. And having him in Brooklyn at the start of my coaching journey meant so much. Those who knew him were blessed to call him a friend. You are already missed my brother.…