The structure would ultimately be demolished January 2020 after the art department had moved into the newly built Devasthali Hall the previous year.

The facility's name was suggested by former NMSU vice president Paul Rader for its location just off Interstate 25, also known as the Pan American Highway.

[7] The university's investment paid quick dividends as the Aggies won their first ten games in the new building before falling to archrival New Mexico on January 29.

Among the most memorable games in the Pan Am's history are NMSU's heartbreaking 91–89 overtime loss to Larry Bird's #2–ranked Indiana State squad on February 2, 1979 (the then-undefeated Sycamores' closest call until losing to Michigan State in that year's legendary national title game); a 72–64 win over New Mexico on December 15, 1990, that saw an all–time record 14,845 fans squeeze into the arena, a nationally televised 83–82 upset of #7–ranked eventual national champion UNLV on January 8, 1990, and the Aggies' thrilling 72–70 defeat of Utah State in the 2007 WAC tournament championship game that clinched the Aggies' seventeenth NCAA Tournament appearance.

A new parquet floor, the arena's third, was dedicated prior to the 2011–12 men's basketball regular season home opener against UTEP on November 19, 2011.

[15] The renovations caused a brief throwback to the 1960s pre–Pan Am era, as several events (most notably virtually the entire 2006 home volleyball schedule) were moved to Las Cruces High School, as NMSU lacks another facility on campus that could accommodate any significant number of fans.

Most controversially, the access tunnel linking the new locker rooms in the annex to the arena floor was not completed until February, forcing both the Aggies and the opposition, along with the referees, to enter the arena via the stands for much of the season, Due to the building's layout, opposing teams had to enter and leave the court through the student section behind the south goal, causing several visiting teams (particularly WAC opponents) to publicly complain about the arrangement.

The renovations were ultimately completed just in time for the start of the 2007 WAC Tournament, with finishing touches being applied in the final days before the event began.

In 2022, an anonymous 2.9 million dollar philanthropic donation was given to the NMSU foundation to fund the creation of suites as well as premium club seating on the north end of Pan American Center.

[17] In addition to its extensive history as a collegiate basketball venue, the Pan American Center has been a prolific host to a wide variety of concerts and special events in its five decades of service.

The illustrious list of entertainers to have performed at the Pan Am includes such icons as Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston, Elton John, Prince, George Strait, Tina Turner, U2, and Carrie Underwood, among countless others.