The arena opened on November 17, 1966, with the San Diego Gulls (then a member of the Western Hockey League) winning their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems.
The Gulls were the arena's first tenant.
The San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team would soon join the Gulls on a part-time basis, and continue to play home games at the arena off-and-on to supplement its on-campus, much smaller venue, Peterson Gymnasium.
The Aztecs would continue this until 1997, when they opened their new on-campus venue, Viejas Arena.

On October 14, 1967, the NBA expansion San Diego Rockets became the arena's first basketball tenant when they played their season opener and first game in franchise history against the St. Louis Hawks, narrowly losing 98-99.

On January 12, 1971, the Rockets hosted the 1971 NBA All-Star Game at the arena.

At the conclusion of the 1970–71 NBA Season, the Rockets were sold and relocated to Houston, Texas.
As a result, San Francisco Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, who was looking for more support for his franchise, decided to make a play for the San Diego market (in addition to the Oakland market, where Oakland Arena had just received a renovation project).
Mieuli changed his team's name to the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season in order to target the state of California as a whole for a fanbase, instead of a single metropolitan area.
The Warriors planned to split the season's home games between the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego.
The Warriors ultimately hosted just six regular season home games at the San Diego Sports Arena, one each month of the 1971–72 season (October–March).
The remainder of the Warriors home games that season were played at Oakland Arena, where the Warriors began playing full-time the following season.

As the Warriors returned to the Bay Area full-time after their one-season experiment in San Diego, the NBA's primary competitor league, the American Basketball Association (ABA) awarded its first—and as it turned out, only—expansion team to San Diego.
Dr. Leonard Bloom (President and CEO of the United States Capital Corporation) paid a $1 million expansion fee to the league to start the team.
The San Diego Conquistadors began play in the 1972–73 ABA season, however, they were unable to use the Sports Arena for their first two seasons of existence due to a feud between Bloom and Peter Graham, manager of the city-owned 14,400 seat Sports Arena.
The Conquistadors (or "Q's" as they were commonly known locally), played at Peterson Gymnasium on the campus of San Diego State University from 1972 until 1974 as a result of the feud.
 
In late 1974, the Q's were finally allowed to use the Sports Arena, but their first season at the arena would turn out to be their only full season there.
In 1975, the ABA, facing mounting financial difficulties, was rumored to be discussing a merger with the NBA and the San Diego franchise was not to be included.
The Conquistadors, freshly renamed the Sails, would fold and cease operations just 11 games into the 1975–76 ABA season on November 12, 1975, when the ABA announced that it was folding the San Diego Sails franchise.
The Sails were scheduled to host the Indiana Pacers on that day but the game was not played.

The arena was the host of the 1973 Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton boxing fight, which, by split decision, San Diego resident Norton won.

The 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at the arena from March 15, 1975 until the national championship game on March 31, where UCLA was victorious in John Wooden's final game.

In 1978, less than three years after the Sails folded and the ABA's four surviving teams merged with the NBA, the NBA returned to San Diego with the relocation of the Buffalo Braves, which became the San Diego Clippers.
In 1981, the Clippers were bought by Los Angeles-based developer Donald Sterling.
Sterling, despite failing to gain approval from the NBA to relocate the team to Los Angeles in 1982 and again in 1984, did so anyway following the 1983–84 NBA season, which led to a lawsuit from the league.
The
The arena opened on November 17, 1966, with the San Diego Gulls (then a member of the Western Hockey League) winning their season opener, 4–1, against the Seattle Totems. The Gulls were the arena's first tenant. The San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team would soon join the Gulls on a part-time basis, and continue to play home games at the arena off-and-on to supplement its on-campus, much smaller venue, Peterson Gymnasium. The Aztecs would continue this until 1997, when they opened their new on-campus venue, Viejas Arena.
On October 14, 1967, the NBA expansion San Diego Rockets became the arena's first basketball tenant when they played their season opener and first game in franchise history against the St. Louis Hawks, narrowly losing 98-99. 
On January 12, 1971, the Rockets hosted the 1971 NBA All-Star Game at the arena. 
At the conclusion of the 1970–71 NBA Season, the Rockets were sold and relocated to Houston, Texas. As a result, San Francisco Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli, who was looking for more support for his franchise, decided to make a play for the San Diego market (in addition to the Oakland market, where Oakland Arena had just received a renovation project). Mieuli changed his team's name to the Golden State Warriors for the upcoming season in order to target the state of California as a whole for a fanbase, instead of a single metropolitan area. The Warriors planned to split the season's home games between the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego. The Warriors ultimately hosted just six regular season home games at the San Diego Sports Arena, one each month of the 1971–72 season (October–March). The remainder of the Warriors home games that season were played at Oakland Arena, where the Warriors began playing full-time the following season. 
As the Warriors returned to the Bay Area full-time after their one-season experiment in San Diego, the NBA's primary competitor league, the American Basketball Association (ABA) awarded its first—and as it turned out, only—expansion team to San Diego. Dr. Leonard Bloom (President and CEO of the United States Capital Corporation) paid a $1 million expansion fee to the league to start the team. The San Diego Conquistadors began play in the 1972–73 ABA season, however, they were unable to use the Sports Arena for their first two seasons of existence due to a feud between Bloom and Peter Graham, manager of the city-owned 14,400 seat Sports Arena. The Conquistadors (or "Q's" as they were commonly known locally), played at Peterson Gymnasium on the campus of San Diego State University from 1972 until 1974 as a result of the feud.  
In late 1974, the Q's were finally allowed to use the Sports Arena, but their first season at the arena would turn out to be their only full season there. In 1975, the ABA, facing mounting financial difficulties, was rumored to be discussing a merger with the NBA and the San Diego franchise was not to be included. The Conquistadors, freshly renamed the Sails, would fold and cease operations just 11 games into the 1975–76 ABA season on November 12, 1975, when the ABA announced that it was folding the San Diego Sails franchise. The Sails were scheduled to host the Indiana Pacers on that day but the game was not played. 
The arena was the host of the 1973 Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton boxing fight, which, by split decision, San Diego resident Norton won. 
The 1975 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at the arena from March 15, 1975 until the national championship game on March 31, where UCLA was victorious in John Wooden's final game. 
In 1978, less than three years after the Sails folded and the ABA's four surviving teams merged with the NBA, the NBA returned to San Diego with the relocation of the Buffalo Braves, which became the San Diego Clippers. In 1981, the Clippers were bought by Los Angeles-based developer Donald Sterling. Sterling, despite failing to gain approval from the NBA to relocate the team to Los Angeles in 1982 and again in 1984, did so anyway following the 1983–84 NBA season, which led to a lawsuit from the league. The
Pechanga Arena