Kobe Bryant dominated the NBA for 20 years and had accomplishments in those years that most athletes only dream of. He won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, was a two-time Finals MVP, an 18-time All-Star, league MVP and became the first player to have two jerseys numbers, 8 and 24, retired by a single organization in the league.

But when Bryant left the court for the final time, his story was far from over. In what is believed to be Bryant's final sit-down interview, conducted by USA Today, before his and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna's deaths, Bryant spoke about who he strived to be and the goals he was determined to reach.

As incredible as the accomplishments in the NBA were, retirement would not mean slowing down for the Black Mamba. It meant channeling new talents, reviving old passions and improving the lives of others, especially kids, along the way. 

He admitted many people worried what retirement would look like for him.

"I just wanted to tell stories" he said, and he wanted those stories to be quality.

Bryant told USA Today a story of being in high school and forgetting about a creative writing assigned project that included writing a story to share with kindergarteners. Showing up to school, his teacher had a feeling he forgot to complete the task, and despite being the only student in the class not ready with notes in hand, he came up with a story about laundry kids left in their bedrooms coming to life. The story left a lasting impact on the young class and on his teacher, who he joked knows he really did not complete the assignment.

Clearly, storytelling was always a passion of his.

Bryant's message for why his life after the NBA looked different than most is something he had always preached:

"It's important to do what you have serious interest in doing, you know what I'm saying. You gotta do what you love to do. I love telling stories, I love inspiring kids, proving them with tools that are gonna help them and the two vehicles, the ways to do it is through information and inspiration. Nothing moves without one of those two things."

His next goals were to turn the books he had made into films. 

But focusing on his storytelling did not mean Bryant was leaving basketball behind completely.

"I'm kind of a big brother to a lot of the guys around the NBA," he said, and mentioned LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard as those he mentored. 

Most important to Bryant was being a mentor to his four daughters. In particular, he was helping Gianna develop as a young basketball star. He admitted that It was Gianna who got him back into basketball after his retirement.

With Gianna's dreams of playing for UConn and eventually going into the WNBA, Bryant recognized how crucial her teenage years were. As a father, he was always careful not to over criticize.

He said on coaching his daughter's team:

"What's more important than the game itself is how you understand that their confidence as young women grows tremendously through playing a sport and you have to be very mindful. That's why I think coaching youth sports is so important to take that very seriously, because you're helping the emotional development of young kids."

Bryant then noted how incredible it was to watch his daughter and her teammates improve.

"It's been awesome, man. You get a chance to watch these kids grow and develop and get better," he said. "It's been beautiful watching them grow"