The arena is home to the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League.

The location of the arena was selected due to its proximity to St. Elizabeths Hospital, distance to the greater Washington, D.C. area, location to the Congress Heights station of the Washington Metro, the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, and ability to improve the local community through jobs and infrastructure improvements.

[5] Construction for the arena, to include razing of surrounding buildings, began on February 19, 2016.

[7] Members of the DC Council sought to introduce legislation capping public expenditure in the case of cost overruns.

[8] On July 28, Greg O'Dell, Chairperson of Events DC, requested an additional $10 million in funding while decreasing the number of seats in the facility.