The payment should have gone to his footballing namesake, Joao Victor Gomes da Silva (22), as part of his recent transfer from Flamengo to English side Wolves.
No longer with the club either, the incident scared the young basketballer.
"I was scared because I didn't know where the money came from," he said, explaining he feared someone might be using his account to launder money.
Now playing at amateur level, Gomes has promised to pay the club back.
"I'd like to settle that as soon as possible," he said.
The footballer Gomes scored a winning goal on his debut for Wolves after an $18.5million deal in January.