Kobe doesn't want basketball to be the best thing he's ever done

Five NBA championships, an MVP award, 18 All-Star nods, and one of the most decorated and legendary basketball careers ever isn't good enough for Kobe Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend is only 39 years old, and having stepped away from the game he holds so near and dear, Bryant should have a long life ahead of him to accomplish much more. His desire to be great won't allow his life to be defined by his playing days, as he wants his future to be as successful, if not more so, than his past.

"Fast forward 20 years from now: If basketball is the best thing I’ve done in my life, then I’ve failed," Bryant said to Complex News. "It’s a very simple mission, very simple quest, very simple goal. These next 20 years need to be better than the previous 20. It’s as simple as that and that is what drives me.”

With all his outside ventures and investments, which includes Kobe Studios and venture capital firm called Bryant-Stibel, "The Black Mamba" has several projects occupying his time. It all amounts to a new chapter in his life that Bryant wants to keep separate from what he did as an athlete.

"My challenge is letting go of what was and focus on building what is to come and that is very, very hard," Bryant added. "Twenty years a career. Legacy. Kobe Bryant. Things of that nature, the easy thing would be to build upon that still.

"The hard thing to do is to let that go, right, and now focus on building a studio, focus on building a content company, from books to films and everything in between. Focus on what is ahead and it takes a lot of bravery to be able to do that because what if that falls flat, then what? It is always easier to go with what is. But that ain’t what we do. We push forward and that is the biggest challenge ahead."

Bryant will have both his Nos. 8 and 24 retired Dec. 18 at Staples Center when the Lakers host the visiting Golden State Warriors.

- With h/t to Yahoo Sports