Prior to 1969, the basketball team of the University of Houston hosted their home games at high school arenas such as Jeppesen Gym and Delmar Field House.

The first athletic event at Hofheinz Pavilion was held on December 1, 1969, when the Houston Cougars men's basketball team defeated Southwestern Louisiana 89–72 before a crowd of 7,000.

[9] When the team relocated from San Diego in 1971, the NBA's Houston Rockets used the venue as their home arena, although selected games were played at the Astrodome.

[11] On March 5, 1990, Hofheinz Pavilion hosted its largest number of spectators to date when a crowd of 10,660 attended a men's basketball game in which Houston beat Texas.

Also added was a meeting area and lounge furnished with couches, a color television, a stereo sound system and a pull-down projection screen.

In June 2010, the University of Houston announced its intention to undergo a $40 million renovation and expansion to Hofheinz Pavilion after a four-month feasibility study conducted by AECOM.

Work was scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2018–19 men's and women's basketball seasons; however, construction delays pushed the reopening back to December 1, 2018.

[16] The newly named Fertitta Center reopened on December 1, 2018, with the men's basketball team beating the then 18th ranked Oregon Ducks 65–61 in a nationally televised game.

Hofheinz Pavilion has hosted Joni Mitchell,[17] George Harrison, Elton John, Faces, Traffic, Jethro Tull, The Clash, Procol Harum, Elvis Presley, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Jackson 5, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, The Band, Prince & The New Power Generation, Madonna, Genesis, and Yes.

On Halloween in 1976, Parliament-Funkadelic, accompanied by opening acts Bootsy's Rubber Band and Sly and the Family Stone brought their P-Funk Earth Tour to the Hofheinz Pavilion.

Popular music concerts are still held at the Fertitta Center, often when a major act decides against playing at the larger (and ticketing industry-controlled) venues in town.