The arena initially held 10,146 fans for basketball. The San Antonio Spurs moved to the arena after the American Basketball Association Dallas Chaparrals franchise relocated following the 1972-73 season. The February 1974 arrival of Hall of Famer George Gervin helped transform the franchise. The Spurs were such a success as an ABA franchise that they became a National Basketball Association franchise following the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

The Spurs played their first game at the arena on October 10, 1973, losing to the San Diego Conquistadors 121-106 in front of 5,879. As Spurs games began regularly selling out, the roof of the arena was literally raised and lifted during the summer of 1978, adding an upper deck at the facility and allowing for a capacity of over 16,000. While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck. Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. In 1986, the White Way Sign/Sony JumboTron center-hung video scoreboard was introduced, remaining at the arena for the rest of its life.

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