It was designed by Houston architect Willie C. Jordan Jr. and built in 1989 and is home to the Texas Southern University Tigers basketball and volleyball teams.

[1][2] The arena played host to Houston Cougars men's basketball games during the 2017–18 season, as well as all Houston Cougars women's basketball home games in the same season,[3] due to renovations of their arena, and hosted both teams for the first month of the 2018–19 season due to construction delays to the Cougars' home arena.

[6] H&PE Arena had previously hosted Houston's first-round game against Akron in the 2017 National Invitation Tournament due to the renovations at UH.

[7][8] The arena also hosted home games during the 2018 JBA season for the Houston Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association.

The H&PE Arena hosted a Democratic presidential debate on September 12, 2019.