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Before Kobe Bryant was the Black Mamba, before the five rings and the 81-point games, he was number 33 for the Lower Merion Aces, a kid from Pennsylvania who was about to change everything. Nike hasn’t forgotten that, and this month, they’re making sure no one else does either.
The centerpiece for Nike’s new “Lower Merion” capsule is the Kobe 5 Protro, marking the return of the “Away” colorway originally released in 2010. The build keeps the maroon-and-silver combination that maps directly to the Ace’s team colors, with maroon carrying through the overlays, forefoot midsole, and outsole, while the sole unit picks up white as well. The lining and branding elements continue in maroon, and the heel carries both a new ace graphic and Kobe’s number 33.
Rounding out the pack are the two Air Force 1s, which serve as the lifestyle counterpart to the Kobe 5’s performance energy. The two colorways are modeled after the Ace’s home and away uniforms, a maroon-dominant pair and a white-based pair, keeping things grounded in the source material rather than going for something flashy or interpretative. It’s a straightforward homage. Both pairs are dressed in snakeskin-textured uppers, which, by now, reads as shorthand for Kobe and his Black Mamba persona in the Nike universe, and carry his sheath logo on the heel. Like the Kobe 5, they carry ace of spades branding and the number 33 as key details on the heel.
The Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Lower Merion Aces Away” and accompanying Air Force 1 colorways drop March 23rd through SNKRS and select retailers. Check out all three pairs below.
Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Lower Merion Aces Away”
Color: Metallic Silver/Team Red-White
Style Code: IM0557-001
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Price: $200 USD
Resell: StockX / GOAT / KICKS CREW / eBay
Nike Kobe Air Force 1 “Lower Merion Aces”
Color: White/Team Red
Style Code: IB0018-101
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Price: $120 USD
Resell: StockX / GOAT / KICKS CREW / eBay
Nike Kobe Air Force 1 Low “Lower Merion Aces”
Color: Team Red/White
Style Code: IB0018-600
Release Date: March 23, 2026
Price: $120 USD
Resell: StockX / GOAT / KICKS CREW / eBay
